Hiei, you really need to get laid
by Kiyoshi'sGirl64
Summary: That's what Anna told me. She's wrong. And I can prove it.-Hiei. In 'Runaway Train' Anna tells Hiei to get laid. Later, Kurama mentions that Hiei falls in love with a girl named Leah because of his response to that comment. This is that story. HieixOC
1. Hiei

**Hiei POV**

That bitch. Who the hell does she think she is? She can't just waltz into our lives and think she suddenly runs the place. She has no right to tell me what to do. Kurama's a moron. Why in hell would he sleep with her, much less fall in love, let alone _marry_ her? He's gone absolutely mad, I swear.

Heh. Get laid, she says. She thinks I'll be in a better mood. Yeah right. My mood is fine, thank you very much. I don't need some weak little human woman telling me what to do. And whether or not I get laid has absolutely nothing to do with my mood.

And I can prove it.

_A few hours later…_

**Leah POV**

Zara looks at me and whispers, "Leah, you have a follower."

"Hm?" I ask looking around.

She smiles. "The man in black has been watching you for the last hour, Leah."

"And who's to say he's not watching you?" I point out, laughing as her black hair falls into her blue eyes.

"Because every time _you've_ gotten up to get more soda, he's watched _you_ walk across the room." She grins wickedly, her sharp front teeth barely visible on the face that looks otherwise human. "You should go talk to him."

"Why on earth would I do that, Zara?" I ask. "Why is it that you spend so much time trying to set me up with random guys off the street?"

"Because I've run out of guys I already know," she says. "You're my best friend, Leah." Here we go again with the lecture. "I want you to have someone other than me. And a man is definitely something you need."

"I don't _need_ anyone," I say. Why is she always like this?

"You think that only because you don't know any better," she chides. "Besides, he's a demon. Hot guy, demon, _obviously_ attracted to you; what's not to like? It's meant to be, Leah!"

"Whatever." I stand. "I'm going to get more to drink. This conversation is closed. When I get back to the table, you better have something else to talk about." I take a few steps away, then turn back and add, "And it better have _nothing_ to do with my love life, him or anyone else."

"You only think this conversation is over, Leah," she calls out. I don't answer. "Why are you ignoring me? Why are you ignoring him? That's really stupid! He's hot, Leah, and he's obviously into you! What more do you want?" Oh dear god. She is so embarrassing. Half of the café has turned to look at her. I feel my face heating up. Why do I take her out in public? She does stuff like this on _purpose_, I swear.

I just don't understand why she's so intent on getting me a guy. I'm perfectly fine with what I have right now. I have Zara. I have a couple of other friends, most of them human, but that's okay. I don't need anyone else. I most certainly don't need a man. I laugh to myself.

"Sleep with me." I jump, spilling soda all over my hand and arm. I look up to see the man Zara was pointing at earlier. I can't see his arms or hands at all, since they're completely hidden by his cloak, or whatever it is. Red-tinted eyes glare at me from beneath spiky black hair held out of his eyes by a headband.

"Excuse me?" I ask. Okay, he may be hot from a distance but he's most definitely a creep. It's the middle of the day. I've never met him before in my life. Maybe if he was drunk I could forgive him for it, but I don't smell any alcohol.

"Sleep with me," he repeats. His voice is commanding. He's used to getting what he wants. Well I don't care. He can ask someone else.

"Not on your life." I walk back over to Zara. "We need to go, Zara."

"But you just spoke with him," she objects looking thrilled.

"No." I shake my head. "He walked up to me and told me to have sex with him. He didn't give me his name, he didn't ask for my name, no small talk. Just 'Sleep with me.'"

"You misheard him," she says as I pull her to her feet. She does look a little worried. Good.

"Too bad he said it twice," I mutter, dragging her to the door. She sure knows how to pick them.

**Hiei POV**

I watch the girl go back to her friend and drag the other girl out the door. I narrow my eyes. I told her what I wanted, and she told me no. No one tells me no and lives. No one. She will either sleep with me, or she will die.

I follow the two girls to an apartment across town. It's not too hard to follow her wavy red hair in through the masses of people. Not that I couldn't find her with my evil eye if it became necessary. But her hair stands out enough that I don't need to. It's red, but not the violent red of Kurama's human form. A more muted shade, with undertones of gold and orange and brown. The odd hair is what caught my attention first. Then the ears, tail and demonic aura.

No one tells me no and lives. No one.

**Leah POV**

Zara snickers, glancing over her shoulder. "He really wants to do you, Leah. He's taken to stalking us."

"And I," I respond coldly, "blame you."

"And I have no problem with that," she answers. She pauses to think a moment then says, her lips twitching in an effort to stay serious, "Leah, you really need to get laid."

_What_? I shake my head in disbelief. "What?" I ask. "What are you suggesting, Zara?"

She shrugs and kisses me on the cheek as she drops me off at my apartment. "I'll let you figure it out, Leah. I just think that… getting laid might… loosen… you… up… a bit." She grins and vanishes down the stairs back the way we came. Why do I put up with her?

I turn and unlock the door to my apartment and kick off my shoes just inside. I need a shower.

As I stand under the hot water, I hear the door open and close. That's not right. Zara is the only one with a key, other than myself. And she's going out with her boyfriend tonight. I step out of the shower leaving the water on. I pull on my clothes.

I glance around. Why is there nothing I could use as a weapon in here? Hmmm… think out of the box, Leah… there. I take the lid covering the water tank of the toilet off as quietly as I can, doing my best to get a good grip on the smooth surface.

I slowly open the door. When I do, I find the creep from the café standing right outside the door, glaring at me. I swing the heavy lid at him. If I kill him, that's one less pervert for the world to deal with.

But he moves out of the way. Easily. So he's one of them. Moves faster than should be possible. I feel my eyes narrow and my tail twitch. "Get out of my house."

"Sleep with me," he says again. Suddenly he pulls out a sword and somehow uses it to knock the toilet lid from my hands. It hits the hardwood floor and cracks.

"Not on your _life_," I repeat. "Is that the only thing you know how to say?"

He takes a step forward and puts the tip of the sword to my throat. "No one tells me no." He does know how to talk. Too bad. I can't chalk his actions up to his being a complete idiot or lunatic then. He knows exactly what he's doing. "Sleep with me."

"Over my dead body." I spit in his face and kick my leg into his arm. I run into the kitchenette area. Plenty of weapons there.

**Hiei POV**

I reach up and slowly wipe her saliva from my eye. She is going to pay for that. I follow her into the kitchen, my sword out and by my side. "You will regret doing that."

"Will I?" she asks. She has all her knives laid out on the counter in front of her, the island separating her from me.

"Yes," I answer. "As I said, I do not like it when someone tells me no. Now I will give you one last chance. You can sleep with me, and then you can move on with your pathetic life or… I can kill you."

"I will die before I'll sleep with a pathetic cretin like you," she hisses, her orange cat ears twitching. Her hazel eyes are glaring daggers at me.

"You just made a grievous mistake," I warn her. I take a step forward. I am going to kill her.

But before I can take another step she takes three knives up off the counter with one hand and flings them at me. In my surprise, I only manage to dodge two of them. The other embeds itself in my stomach. I wrench it out and drop it to the floor. Bitch. She watches as I begin moving toward her. Why can't I move any faster? I drop my sword. What is wrong with me?

I hit the ground and watch her walk toward me. Damn it, what's happening? Why can't I move?

**Leah POV**

Thank god. I was afraid I hadn't gotten enough on the knives. I had to coat them so quickly. But now what? He's lying in the middle of my apartment, paralyzed, and if I don't do something, he's going to bleed to death. And people ask questions when you try to dispose of a body.

Damn it. I walk to the bathroom and pull out a roll of gauze and a roll of medical tape.

Zara, I am going to kill you.

* * *

Well, I hope I've captured your interest. I own Zara and Leah, although Leah was inspired by canopyskyandblanketseas. This story is dedicated to her. All reviews will be answered at the end of the next chapter. If you want a _private_ review response, send me a private message instead of a normal review. I believe that's all for now. Until next time. ;)

ForbiddenChildLover64


	2. Leah

_The next morning…_

**Leah POV**

Zara walks into my apartment and freezes. Then a wide smile splits across her face. "You let him spend the night," she accuses, looking delighted.

"Define _let_ and define _spend the night_," I mutter.

She walks into my room and sees him lying on my bed. Every time I walk into the room, he glares. As though it's my fault he broke into my apartment. "Leah," she asks, turning on me. "What did you do?"

"What did _I_ do?" I ask. I look at him. "_He_ broke into my apartment, Zara. He came in, once again insisting I sleep with him, and threatening to kill me if I didn't. I was afraid he was going to rape me."

She frowns. "I'm sorry, Leah. I didn't think he was _that_ kind of guy."

"I'm… not…" he chokes out. "What… the… hell… did…"

"What did I do to you?" I ask. "I paralyzed you. I would have thought that was obvious." He responds with a glare. Figures. "It'll wear off in a couple of hours and you will leave my apartment and not come back." I turn to Zara. "He has been bleeding all over my sheets all night long."

"Leah," she sighs, "wouldn't it have been easier to just sleep with him and kick him out?"

"No. I would have killed him while he was lying on the floor, but I don't really want to have to move again." That's what always happens. You kill someone, even in self-defense, and you have to move.

**Hiei POV**

Move again? Who is this girl? And how did she paralyze me? What was on that knife? She's strong. Stronger than I would have guessed.

I move my fingers. Good. It's wearing off. Perhaps I picked the wrong person. But now… now I want her _because_ she's strong. I'm strong. It follows that I should only ever be with strong women. And she's stubborn. I want to prove that I can get around that.

But now… perhaps just telling her that she needs to sleep with me was the wrong way to go about it. I should… how do the others do this? Hmmm… sweet-talking seems to be effective for most women. Perhaps I should try that.

"Leah," I say. Okay, good. My voice is working. She looks at me, her eyes distrustful. "You're beautiful."

She snorts. "Do not even try that. The moment you can walk, you are getting up and leaving and never coming back."

Then I'll just have to prolong how long I can't walk. It's not all that difficult to pretend you can't walk. "Fine."

She glares at me. "What are you up to?" she demands suspiciously. "Why are you suddenly so agreeable?"

"I'm not allowed to realize the error of my ways?"

"You're allowed to realize the error of you ways," she answers. So what's the problem? "But you aren't allowed to pretend you have."

Hmmm… "Could you get me a drink of water?" I ask.

"No." The other girl—Zara—elbows her. "Ow. Fine." She storms out.

Zara sits down on the edge of the bed. "I don't care what you've said or done so far. Something is telling me you're not as bad as you're pretending to be." Pretending? The only thing I'm pretending to do is actually like the girl. Zara continues, "Now I want you to stop being such a jerk. I think that, somewhere deep down, you're not such a terrible person. And I think if you let that person show through, you'd be good for her."

"Feh." Leah walks back in, carrying a glass of water. "Took you long enough," I mutter. She looks at me for a few seconds then walks over and dumps the water on my head.

"Hurry up and figure out how to walk," she mutters, stalking out of the room.

Zara looks at me and frowns. "Not a great start, let me tell you."

**Leah POV**

Zara follows me out of my bedroom. I pull some iced tea out of the refrigerator and slam a glass down in front of her. She looks at me. "I don't think he's as bad of a guy as he's let you think so far, Leah."

"Whatever." She always wants to think positive. And sometimes it gets really old. "He wasn't giving me a choice, Zara. He was forcing it on me. And now you tell me he's not that bad of a guy?"

"He never actually did anything to you," Zara points out, drinking her tea. "Threats? What are those? Just words, if he never made any effort to act on them. I saw the sword. If he had really wanted to, I'm sure he could have injured you before you paralyzed him. But he didn't. Some part of him… maybe even most of him… he doesn't want to hurt you. What he wants is exactly what he's said from the beginning."

"He threatened my life," I say slowly, "and you're _still_ trying to get me into bed with him?"

She shrugs. "That's what I do. And it wouldn't be too difficult at the moment. After all, that's why he came here… he's in _your_ bed and…" She grins. "He can't move right now. You have him right where you want him."

"You," I tell her, "are sick."

She rolls her eyes. "If I'm the one who's sick, why is it that you're the one who can't build a lasting relationship?" She gets up and walks toward the door.

"Zara," I call out. She turns and looks at me. "I—I'll try to find someone, if it will make you happy."

She shakes her head. "I don't want you do it to make me happy. I want you to do it because I think it will make _you_ happy. Of course, if you were to give _him_ a chance… _that_ would make me happy."

"And how does a one night stand with a man whose name I don't know who also threatened to kill me if I didn't sleep with him help me form a lasting relationship?" Does she really think these things through?

"Baby steps, Leah," Zara answers. "As for the name… there's an easy solution to that problem."

She turns and walks out. Maybe she's right. Maybe I do need more relationships. I sigh and grab a glass and fill it with water. I also grab a towel. A relationship. Just not with him.

**Hiei POV**

"It's Hiei," I say as she walks in.

"What's Hiei?" she asks, throwing a towel at me and setting a glass on the bedside table.

"My name," I answer. "It's Hiei." I heard them talking. She doesn't want anything to do with me because she doesn't know my name. Start there, and maybe I'll get what I want.

She rolls her eyes. "Eavesdropping too. Fantastic."

She turns to leave. "Leah," I say.

"What now?" she snaps at me.

Oh, I don't want to say this. "I'm sorry. I never meant to offend you." She turns back toward the door. "Leah," I call out.

"What now?" she asks, sounding tired. Did she sleep last night?

"I can't lift my arms." She glares. At least she can't get mad at me for lying this time. My hands and fingers are responding, but I still can't move my arms.

But instead of saying anything, she just grabs the glass of water and holds it to my lips. I let the water flow into my mouth. But she tilts it too high and some spills from the corners of my mouth. She really needs to pay for this. She sets the glass of water back on the table.

Then she snatches the towel from where it's sitting on my stomach and begins to wipe my face dry. At first she just drags it across my face, not bothering to try and keep it from scratching my cornea. But suddenly she sits down next to me and begins wiping my face more gently, drying my chin, cheeks and eyes. "Why did you apologize?" she asks.

"Because I was wrong in trying to force you," I say. I should have talked her into it.

She freezes. "Why me, Hiei?" she asks. "Why did you follow me when we left? Why didn't you just go after another girl who might've granted your request?"

"Because," I answer, "no one tells me no."

"So I've been told," she answers. "But why did you pick me in the first place?"

"Demon," I answer. And she is beautiful. I wasn't lying when I said that. She has got a wonderful body. All I want is to get laid. Might as well pick a beautiful woman for that.

"Zara's a demon too," she answers. "But you came after me."

Came after… she makes it sound so negative. "I found you more attractive." Why is it easier to talk to her when I'm telling her the truth? Perhaps it's that the truth could complete my purpose more easily than lies. At the same time, Mukuro did tell me that I'm more at ease when I lie. And I can't argue with that. Why is it that, now, I feel comfortable telling her the truth, even about something as insignificant as my taste in women?

She pulls her hand away from my face. "Why are you so determined to get in my pants, Hiei? Why not some girl drunk out of her mind in a bar across town? You obviously just want to get lucky. If she's drunk enough, she won't remember you the next day. She won't get clingy." She sounds more than a little resentful. Odd.

"I… My friend just got married. His wife told me I needed to get laid." She's crazy. Why did Yusuke have to get the brilliant idea to bring her back to Japan with us? "She obviously thinks it will make me be in a better mood."

"And you want to prove her wrong," Leah states.

"Yes."

"If that's all there is to it why not pick up a drunk chick in a bar?" she asks again. "So much easier."

I hadn't thought of that. "I don't know." That's what I was planning to do, but then she caught my eye. I figured she is just as good as anyone else.

**Leah POV**

I look at him, and there is a strange sort of honesty in his eyes. As though he's telling part of the truth, and the only reason he isn't telling the whole truth is that he doesn't understand it himself. I stare at him. Why'd he have to do this to me? I don't like people. He hasn't made it particularly easy to like him either. "Leah," he suddenly asks, "if I had asked you nicely, as opposed to telling you, what would you have said?"

I look at him. "Am I one of the drunk chicks in a bar at this point? And is Zara there or not?" Sober and alone, no. Sober and with Zara, no. Drunk and alone, unlikely but possible. Drunk and with Zara… likely. He looks at me, and I say, "I probably would have laughed you off."

"Why is it you don't want to get close to people?" he asks. Then he looks away and mutters, "More importantly, why do I care?"

"Why is it _you_ don't want to get close to people?"

"How is that relevant?" he asks.

"You're the one who's looking for a one night stand," I answer. "You're the one who obviously can't stand the people you're around, with a low tolerance for the one friend you spoke of. As Zara shouted to the entire café yesterday, most women would consider you very attractive. If you wanted a relationship, you wouldn't have any problem finding someone. You simply push everyone away."

"Most women," he repeats. "Meaning not you." I never said that. If he hadn't been such a jerk about it, he probably could have gotten lucky after a while. But I try to avoid one night stands. As a general rule. And I always avoid assholes. When I don't answer, he says, "Most men would consider you very attractive. If _you_ wanted a relationship, you wouldn't have any problem finding someone. _You_ simply push everyone away."

Oh, so that's how it's going to be. Now he's turning my words against me. But I don't want a relationship. I had a relationship. I push everyone away because I can't suffer that kind of loss again. I don't think my heart can take it. I ignore his remark and reach up to take the water-soaked headband from his forehead.

* * *

Hey. I'm back. With a new chapter. And a new user name. I hope you enjoyed you enjoyed the chapter and I hope the name didn't throw you off. Now for reviews.

FireStorm1991: Well... I was trying to figure out how Hiei would going about doing such a thing. And I was baffled. And then I realized... Hiei expects people to do what he tells them to do. I figured it was believable enough. And even if it wasn't, it made me laugh. No way I could lose. ;)

animegrlsteph: How'd you like this chapter?

Sensitive: here's your update!

moani-sama: yep... I couldn't figure out how Hiei would go about picking up girls... that's the only thing I came up that seemed halfway believable.

Kuramasredredrose: Thanks. Glad you're happy I'm writing it.


	3. Zara

**Leah POV**

"No!" he says rather loudly. No, what? Don't take off his headband? Whatever. Now I'm going to do it just to piss him off. I pull the thin strip of fabric over his damp hair and flinch backward. Smack dab in the middle of his forehead, closed but obviously there, is a third eye. Wonderful. A pervert _and_ a freak of nature. And it's going to be several hours before I can get rid of him. "I told you not to take my headband off," he says angrily.

"And I told you to leave me alone," I snap right back. "And look where that got you." He doesn't respond. Whatever. That can't have been comfortable, having a wet, rather rough headband covering an eye. It almost makes me wonder what his tolerance for pain is. Of course, I'm not mean enough to experiment on him when he can't get away. He may be paralyzed, but he can still feel pain. But if he doesn't quit acting like such a jerk, I will be sorely tempted to see what his pain threshold is.

I stand. "If you need anything, don't bother to call," I tell him. I need to talk to Zara. Now.

**Hiei POV**

I watch her go. I open my Jagan and watch her leave the apartment and flee down the street. It's like she can't get away from me fast enough. Like she's running from the plague. Is that what I am to her? A monster? Admittedly, I've done some terrible things. I've stolen, killed. I've got the extra eye, although that's not all that bad unless you're not expecting it. Which she wasn't.

But how am I to get around her stubbornness if I can't get her to stop seeing me as a threat? And how long can I pretend I can't move my arms and legs? Right now it isn't an act, but how long can I convince her once I am capable of moving?

With my mind's eye, I follow her movement across the city. She finds her friend, Zara and sits down to talk. I can hear what they're saying because of the Jagan, but she's too far away. I don't much care what she _says_. I want to know what she's _thinking_.

**Leah POV**

"Evil. Eye."

Zara looks at me. "And?"

"He has one," I say.

"And?" she asks again.

"The word _evil_ is in the name, Zara," I complain. "That generally makes alarm bells go off, doesn't it?"

"But not for you, apparently." She's grinning at me. What is she talking about?

"Obviously it is, if I'm here talking to you about it."

"No." She shakes her head. "You _know_ it should set off warning bells. You're not worried about the eye. You're worried about why you're _not_ worried."

"Zara," I snap at her, "that makes no sense."

She sighs and rolls her eyes. "Fine. I'll speak Leah for you for a few minutes." Speak Leah? What's that even supposed to mean? If either of us speaks our own language, it's most definitely not me. She goes on, "If some part of you didn't like him—" Does she really need to speak this slowly? I'm not an idiot. "—you would be reading a book in your apartment and waiting for him to leave. It would not matter to you that he has an evil eye. Instead, you are here bothering me about it. Do you understand?"

"I don't care about him, Zara."

She shakes her head. "I never said you did."

"Then what were you saying?"

"I was saying that part of you is at least intrigued by him. Part of you wants to learn more about him." She grins wickedly. "Perhaps more about his anatomy."

"Zara! Could you be serious for once in your life?" I ask. "Could you stop trying to get me to sleep with him?"

She grins again. "I don't care if you sleep with him, I just want you to have sex with him."

"Zara!"

"Come on, Leah," she says, almost whining. "Just give him a chance."

"Why?" I ask. He hasn't given me any reason to give him a chance.

"Because it will make me happy," she answers.

"Define _give him a chance_," I answer. She doesn't respond, just stares at me. "What?" I ask.

"You like him," she accuses again.

"No I don't," I object.

She rolls her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that, Leah. You're looking for any excuse to let him stay."

**Hiei POV**

"Let's _imagine_, just for a moment, that that's true," she says sarcastically to Zara. "What would you have me do?"

"I'd have you—" Zara begins, but Leah cuts her off.

"Let me rephrase, Zara. What would you have me do that _doesn't_ involve sharing a bed?"

Zara frowns, but it's in a way that says she's not really angry. "Find something off on his behavior or appearance or _something_ and blame it on the paralytic. Make him stay until you're 'sure he's okay.' Or until you decide it's a good idea to—"

"Why do I even talk to you?" Leah groans. But… why is she smiling? She stands up and walks away from Zara. Zara just smiles. What is she up to? And why is she suddenly so happy?

Leah walks across town, moving closer and closer to me. I didn't think she'd come back this soon. But what am I supposed to say to her? How do I get her to trust me? I try in vain to lift my arm. Damn it. What the hell is this stuff? How can it be so effective? And how did she even hit me with that knife?

She enters the apartment and enters her bedroom. "Can you move yet?" she demands.

I shake my head. "Why?"

"I want you out." _I think. Unless I listen to Zara. Then all I want to do is sleep with you. But why would I want to do that? He's a creep._ A creep? Is that how she thinks of me? I don't say anything, but I continue to listen to her thoughts. _When will he be able to move? It generally lasts about eighteen hours… but he's so short…_ I frown. She disapproves of my height? Well, I suppose she doesn't really care. It's just that there is less body mass for the same amount of poison to spread through. A stronger concentration.

"You think I want to stay here?" I ask.

"Yes."

Fair enough. I do want to stay here. At least until I've talked her back into this bed with me. One question is why I care so much. First, why do I care that Anna thinks I need to get laid? More importantly, why is it suddenly so important that it be Leah? "What makes you think that?" I ask.

"You came here." _You threatened my life if I didn't sleep with you_. Hmmm… that plan really backfired on me. I try to shrug, but when I do, the wound in my stomach throbs painfully. She looks at me a moment then sighs. "I suppose I should change your bandages _again_."

"Again?" I ask. "How long was I out?"

She shrugs. "All night. I had to change the bandages twice. The paralytic really knocked you out." Fantastic.

She sits down next to me on the bed and forces me into a sitting position. "Don't," I say. "It's fine."

"I don't want blood on my sheets." She carefully unwraps the bandages. Hmmm… why isn't that wound healed? It normally doesn't take this long. Of course, quite often I'm with someone who has better healing abilities than her, but that's beside the point. The wound hasn't even begun to close itself.

"What was that stuff?" I ask. "Why is it keeping the wound open?"

She frowns. "I'm not sure why the wound's still open. Normally they close at a normal rate, and you evidently believe this is slower than normal." She turns and sits sideways on the bed, knees bent to keep me upright. I listen as she carefully wipes the wound clean. It's just odd that the person who inflicted it is also the person treating it. _Why isn't it healing? Maybe I won't even need to use Zara's excuse. He's reacting differently than anyone else I've seen. What could cause that? An allergy? If that's the case, Zara will never let me hear the end of this. As though it's my fault I'm a cat._ What does the fact that she's a cat demon have to do with any of this? Suddenly she says, "Perhaps your allergic."

"Allergic to what?"

"Cats."

"How would a cat allergy explain the problem?" I ask as she begins to rewrap the wound.

"Most people who are allergic to cats are actually allergic to the saliva," she responds easily, working the bandage around my useless arms. "People aren't designed to tolerate cat saliva one hundred percent anyway, which is what makes mine a paralytic. The fact that you appear to be slightly allergic is evidently what's keeping it from closing. It also means I'm not sure how long it will take to wear off." _And I'll have to keep doing this until you can walk. Fantastic. Okay, Leah, find the bright side. What would Zara tell you to do, since she's the positive one? Well, as long as I have to change the bandages, I will be able to see his chest, his abs and his arms. I have to give Zara that one. He _is _hot._ Perhaps it won't be too difficult to talk her into sleeping with me after all. Of course, if I remain paralyzed it won't make any difference either way. She looks at me. "What are you grinning at?"

"Just the idea that I'm allergic to cats."

"That is not what you find funny."

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't."

She shakes his head. _You're unbelievable. How could Zara believe I'm attracted to someone as unbelievably irritating as you?_

"I don't know," I say quietly as she lets me rest back on the pillows. "But she thinks I'm attracted to you as well."

"You _are_ attracted to me if asking me to sleep with you is any—how did you know what I was—you're unbelievable." She stands up and storms out of the room. I follow her movements. She's pissed again. Wonderful. How do the three of them deal with this all the time? Well, the two of them. Yukina doesn't have any kind of a temper. Anna and Keiko on the other hand… Shizuru too… how do Urameshi, Kuwabara and Kurama deal with their mood swings? I watch her pace around the kitchen for a few minutes. But… it's my eye that got her mad at me in the first place. Perhaps… I close my third eye. That's as close as I can get right now. It's not as though I can cover it up without her help.

* * *

Well, I own Leah and Zara. Now for reviews.

Allysarian: I don't blame you for being wary of HieixOC. Actually, I wouldn't blame you for being wary of Hieix_anyone_. It's difficult to write Hiei falling in love while still keeping him in character. As for Leah and Zara... I just love Zara. Some of the things she says...

canopyskyandblanketseas: Let me tell you a secret: of all the YYH characters, I personally believe Hiei is one of the hardest to keep in character. Whatever. As for Leah's cat ears... your profile says cats are your favorite animals. And you're Leah's inspiration. You can probably imagine what Leah's supposed to look like better than anyone. ;)

Eggnog Starfish 37: Thank you. So much. Just one question: since Leah reminds you of me, does that mean Zara reminds you of someone? Yourself for example? Actually, even your mind isn't in the gutter as much as Zara's is. Well, Zara's isn't in the gutter... it's more that she has no problem saying crazy stuff if it will get Leah and someone (preferably Hiei) together. But Zara is my favorite character too.

DarlingAngelthewriter: Here's the update you wanted. :)

animegrlsteph: I love it too. And my new story is going up today. You should read it. Unless you want to sleep tonight. :P

FireStorm1991: Perfect match is what I'm going for. The scary thing is... I don't see them _ever_ really getting along. They're both too stubborn. But somehow it works. Odd.


	4. Andy

_The next morning…_

**Hiei POV**

When I wake up, it's to the sound of Leah storming around the kitchen. Great. The day hasn't even started and she's already pissed. If I can't get her to trust me at least a little bit, there's no way she'll sleep with me. And if she's angry all the time, I have no chance of winning her trust. I groan and try to lift my arm. My arm moves. Thank god. It's wearing off. I can't move quickly, but I can move. It's a start. "Leah," I shout. "Come in here."

"You come in here," she shouts back.

"I can't move," I yell at her. Might as well stay immobile as long as I can.

She walks into the room and points a knife at me. I should probably avoid that, considering what happened last time. "Don't give me that crap. I came in here earlier, and you were moving in your sleep." Oh. Well, that didn't work quite as planned. I push myself into a sitting position and groan. My stomach hurts and my arms feel like jelly. How can she expect me to walk if my legs feel the way my arms do? She frowns then says, "I have breakfast in the kitchen if you want any of it."

I drag my feet off the bed and place them on the floor. Do I even want to try to walk? I might just collapse. She's already seen me collapse once. I'm not sure I can take that kind of humiliation again.

She watches, her face covered with something I think might be concern. That's a good sign, right? As I'm preparing to stand, she suddenly objects, "Hiei, wait. Let me check your wound first."

I frown but nod. Anything to put off standing and the likely fall that will follow. She sits down next to me and begins to unwrap the bandages.

She looks at the still-bleeding stab wound a moment before she asks, "What's your pain tolerance, Hiei?"

As she does her best to wipe it clean, I answer, "High. This doesn't hurt much." Just a throbbing, really. "I've been hurt worse." A lot worse.

She nods then begins to wrap new bandages around my abdomen. I could do this myself. Just…

It's nice. The way she has to reach around me with both hands to pass the roll from one hand to the other. The way she has to lean toward me to be able to reach. The way her hands linger a bit longer than necessary as she fastens the bandage in a way that it won't come loose. It's nice.

Why am I enjoying this? Sure, I would have enjoyed the feel of her arms and hands if we were sleeping together. More importantly, I would have enjoyed the way she felt under _my_ hands. But why do I like the way it feels to have someone else dress my wounds? But… I don't like that someone else is taking care of me.

I like that _Leah_ is taking care of me.

**Leah POV**

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him start, almost in surprise. I look up at him to find confused, reddish eyes staring at me. "Is something wrong?" I ask.

"No," he whispers. Then, his voice stronger, he repeats, "No. I just don't understand why you're doing this. You're the one who stabbed me. Why are you also trying to heal me?" He looks away, suddenly unable to meet my eyes.

He's lying. That much is easy to see. And that would normally make me angry. But he looks… I don't know… ashamed, maybe? He's not the type of person to feel shame over something insignificant. And that scares me. I don't think I want to know what he's really thinking.

I answer slowly, "I didn't want you to die. I just wanted you to leave me alone."

**Hiei POV**

She still wants me to leave her alone. Okay. If that's how she wants it. "Very well." Why is it so hard to keep my tone even? And why do I feel like I'm lying to myself when I'm saying it's fine that she feels that way? "I'll leave."

I stand, and my legs immediately turn to jello and give way beneath me. But she catches me before I hit the floor. "You need to eat first," she says quietly. "And… I want to fix your wound before you leave."

If she just wants me to leave her alone, why is she so determined to make me better first. "It's not healing on its own," I reply as coldly as I can manage as we slowly make our way to her dining room. "What more do you think you can do?"

She hesitates, then answers, "You said you have a high tolerance for pain."

"Yes," I reply. What's she getting at? Does she want to experiment on me? Dissect me to 'learn more about my anatomy?' "What's your point?"

She lowers me into a seat where a plate of food has already been set. If she wants to get rid of me so badly, why is she doing all this? Finally, as she sits down across from me, she answers, quietly, her hazel eyes avoiding mine, "I want you to let me sew it up."

Sew it up? She wants to get my blood all over her precious sheets, her bed, her_self_, just to close my wound? I take a bite of the food. Why is it so hard to keep my hand from shaking? Is it still her damn cat spit or is it something else? Taking a bite, not really tasting it, I swallow, and with some effort, I manage to keep my voice from shaking. "Whatever."

I glance at her. Why is she smiling? Am I crazy or does she look… relieved? Does she actually care? Wait… why do I feel as though… why do I feel this way? The only thing I can compare it to is how I feel when I've just defeated an opponent. But I haven't defeated her. This isn't a battle to be won or lost. Not anymore. When did that happen?

And it's not really the same feeling anyway. After winning, I feel a kind of self-satisfaction and pride. When I win, I'm _pleased_ with myself. Now the fact—no, not even that. The _idea_ that Leah might care about me, at least a little bit, makes me… it makes me _happy_. But why? I'm so confused.

She stands. "I'll be back in a while. Clean up when you're finished."

"Don't tell me what to do," I mutter.

"Don't break into people's apartments if you want to be treated like a guest," she snaps, slamming the door.

**Leah POV**

What is wrong with you, Leah? Are you trying to get him to stay with you longer? No. Why the hell would I do that? Unless… unless Zara is right.

But I don't want her to be right. If she's right… If I do like him… I shake my head. Forget it, Leah. All he wants is to get in your pants. The moment he's succeeded, he'll be gone. And even if he doesn't leave right away, even if he stays—_especially_ if he stays—I can't take that kind of heartbreak again.

I knock on Zara's door. She's probably not even awake yet. When the door opens, it's not Zara. It's Andy. I should have known. I step past him and he closes the door behind me. Seeing my face, he sighs, "I'll leave." Then he shouts, "Zara, Leah's here. Looks important."

I hear a scrambling from her bedroom—which is more or less _their_ bedroom, since he stays here more often than he stays at his place—and Zara appears. Her black hair is flying in every direction, and all she's wearing is an extra-large t-shirt.

She sees me pacing, her eyes widen, and she says, "Let me get dressed. Then we can talk." She flies across the room, gives Andy a kiss goodbye then disappears into her room.

Andy stares at me a moment. Then, pulling on his coat, he tells me, "From what I hear, Leah, you should give this guy a chance. You deserve to be happy." That's all he says. And just like that, he leaves.

And now it's official. I'm going to kill Zara.

She pops into the room, bright-eyed and forces me into a seat. "Spill," she commands.

"First tell me why you told Andy," I counter resentfully.

"I tell Andy _everything_, Leah," she says, sounding completely exasperated. "If you don't specifically tell me it's a secret, it's fair game. Now, spill."

"I don't know, Zara." Then I add, "And none of this leaves this room."

She stares at me. "What do you mean, you don't know? If you don't know, why are you here?"

"I'm here _because_ I don't know, Zara. I… I like him. There I said it. Are you happy now?" I demand.

"Immensely," she answers. "Go on."

"That's all, Zara," I complain. "I like him, and it scares me. What am I supposed to do?"

"You have several options," Zara says. "You can keep him around, making excuses once he can walk—"

"He's walking," I say. "I've already made one excuse. I don't know how long I can keep making them up without him getting suspicious."

"Well, keep making up excuses, tell him the truth, or sleep with him." For once this suggestion seems to be a serious one. And coming from Zara that's saying something. She goes on, "Those are your options."

"He'll leave if I sleep with him, Zara," I tell her. "He doesn't feel the same. He's maintaining his cold, indifferent attitude. He still wants to get in my pants, but nothing more. He's probably listening to this conversation right now, laughing his ass off because he's got me hooked and it's only a matter of time before I give him what he wants."

Zara bites her lip. Then she asks, "Do you want me to talk to him?"

I hesitate. "Yes."

Zara looks at me. "Are you coming? Or do you want me to talk to him alone?"

"I'll wait here." I can't be there. I don't know if I can take knowing that he doesn't feel anything for me. At least not like that. I can keep pretending until he's healthy, and then I can kick him out.

"And you just want me to try and learn a little bit about what's going through his mind, right?" she asks. "Nothing that happened in this room?"

I nod. "And if he brings it up, ignore the question."

As she gets ready to leave, she says, "I'm proud of you, Leah. As much as I've pushed you, I never thought you'd begin to move on after only six years. I know you loved him at least as much as I love Andy."

I shake my head. "Don't, Zara," I say. I can't think about him right now. "Just go."

**Hiei POV**

Zara walks into the apartment. She looks at me and says, "Why are you still here?"

"What?" I ask. What is she on about? And where is Leah?

She rolls her eyes, shakes her head and repeats, "Why are you still here, Hiei?"

"I heard you the first time," I mutter. "I meant _what do you mean_?"

"You can walk, Hiei," Zara tells me. "Yet you haven't left. What is your reason for staying here?"

What's my reason? I don't know anymore. "I'm going to sleep with Leah. End of story." The thing is… that no longer seems important. I mean, I'd _like_ to sleep with her, but who wouldn't? She's hot. But there's more to it than that. She's strong. She's smart. She's stubborn. And there is something about her almost violent mood swings that fascinates me. I want to know why.

"Is that all?" Zara asks. Why is she so suspicious?

"Yes."

She shakes her head. "No it's not, Hiei. Leah may be stupid enough to believe that, but I'm not. She just wants to believe you don't care at all because it's an excuse not to get close enough to form a real relationship. Now tell me, Hiei, do you care about her?"

I hesitate. "Are you going to tell her what I say? I'll tell you the truth, but if you tell her, I might not be able to… get in her pants." Talking to Shizuru always seemed to help Kurama, but—why am I comparing myself to Kurama? Why am I comparing my relationship with Leah to his relationship with Anna?

Zara groans at my request, but she says, "As long as it doesn't present a direct threat to Leah's physical, mental or emotional health."

Okay. I can handle that. "I don't know," I admit.

"Unbelievable," she says. "Absolutely unbelievable. He doesn't know what he wants."

"Zara?" I ask. "I… I'm not staying just to get in her pants, if that's what you're worried about. I just don't know what my real reason for staying is. Not anymore. I'm just… confused. And I don't know what to do." How can I be admitting this to Zara? I've met her how many times? Three? Four? This situation is so screwed up.

Zara nods. "Good."

"What's good?" What could _possibly_ be good about this situation?

"Just…" she starts, then she says, "Never mind. Just hang around awhile. Stay open to new ideas." She stands, probably to leave.

"Zara," I ask, "What happened to her? Why is she so wary of getting close to people?" I have good reason to feel that way. But why would she?

Zara doesn't pause for a second before saying, "You have to ask her that. I didn't even tell Andy that." Who the hell is Andy? "He knows, but only based on things Leah has said. If you want to know, you'll have to hear it from her." Looking flustered, she says, "Now, I need to go. Goodbye, Hiei. Stay open to new ideas and emotions."

As she pulls the door shut behind her, I swear I hear her mutter, "Physically violent, mentally irritable and emotionally compromised and unstable, the both of them." What is that even supposed to mean?

* * *

Well, I was too lazy to proofread this chapter so if there are about a thousand typos, my bad. I own everyone but Hiei. Time for the reviews.

Neko-fire demon tempest: If this one is as long as 'Runaway Train' I will kill myself. I am so tired of this story. Because it is the same story, just an alternate branch... urgh. Goal: keep it under 20 chapters, preferably 15. I hope that is short enough for you, especially considering this story is already 4 chapters longer than it was supposed to be. XP

Allysarian: Okay... confession time... I don't know which stories you've read, so I don't know if you've met Kiyoshi or not. Kiyoshi is example A of a character that is different from all the others. He wrote himself and now he won't go away. I think the reason the characters I write are all so... unique, shall we say, is that I'm not writing them. Kiyoshi and the other people in my head are doing that for me. I just write it all down. When I try to make a story happen the way _I_ think it should or the way I want it to, it doesn't generally turn out very good. So I have a tendency to just go with what _feels_ right. And that somehow lets the characters be themselves in ways I couldn't consciously plot out. If that made any sense, congratulations. If it didn't... sorry for wasting our time. And yes, he is allergic to cats, although I don't really remember why I decided to do that.

four-eyed 0-0: Thanks. :) I like it when people read more than one of my stories. I hope Hiei's still in character this chapter. I'm not really sure about the ending... but I kind of gave up.

canopyskyandblanketseas: Nope, not at all. Actually, I'm glad you did. It means at least one person knows I'm not crazy. (Me=allergic to cats. My cat=likes to drool on me when I get home. Me+my cat=hives. FAN-tastic.) And I'm glad you like my inspiration. ;)

Angel of Randomosity: that's a good question... on the other hand... what Hiei really meant is 'put up with them.' And considering we sometimes have mood swings for almost no reason at all (very general/unspecific "we" by the way), guys do have to put up with them to some extent. They just need to learn not to complain. :)

FireStorm1991: Your review made me want to kick myself because it made me realize something about Leah and Hiei's relationship that should have been obvious from the beginning (maybe it was obvious to you, I don't know, but it was definitely a surprise to me). Anyway, thanks for helping me out.

animegrlsteph: please note: Zara is actually capable of being serious. See chapter 4.

TeacupKitty: Hope I succeeded in keeping Hiei in character this chapter. It was even more difficult now that he can walk around. Grrrr... anyway, it's easier to keep Hiei in character in first person because then he can be the soft unrecognizable person without it being entirely ridiculous, so long as he keeps _acting_ like the 'big tough demon man' as you put it. It just shows how little Hiei actually trusts people, his closest friends included. okay, I completely forgot where I was going with this...

Well, that's all for now.

Kiyoshi'sGirl64, signing out.

Kiyoshi: you should probably post the chapter before you sign out.

KG64: You should probably shut up before I make you shut up.

Kiyoshi: No need to get violent.

KG64: No need to get irritating.


	5. Aidan

**Leah POV**

Zara walks back in. "Well?" I ask her.

She shrugs. "I talked to him."

"And?" I ask. Why hasn't she told me yet? Normally Zara would be jumping to tell me what happened.

"I can't tell you," she says, pursing her lips in a strange half-smile. "I only got anything out of him by promising not to tell."

I stare. "Whose side are you on, Zara?"

She frowns. "Yours, Leah. But I think—especially after my conversation with him—that he would be good for you. I think you'd be good for him. And if I tell you what he said, if I betray his trust, he'll leave. I don't want him to leave."

I stand and shake my head. "Well, I will try. Thanks for talking to him, Zara."

She nods. "No problem."

When I get back home, Hiei is washing dishes at the sink. "I'll stitch you up whenever you're ready," I say. I don't want to. I want him to stay here until it heals on its own.

"When I'm finished with the dishes," he answers, not looking at me. I walk over and help him dry the dishes. I can see he's still weak from the poison. Too bad. The longer he suffers from the fatigue, the longer I have a good excuse to keep him here.

We finish the dishes and I pull all my towels from my closet and lay them across the bed. We undo the bandages and he lays back on the bed as I string the thick thread through the heavy-duty needle I bought on the way home. As I pull the needle through the layers of skin, I try not to flinch at the blood that pours from the wound. I'm just glad it's only an inch across. If it was any larger I don't know what I'd do. As I force the wound to close itself, I can see Hiei gritting his teeth and clenching the sheets below him in his fists. Hmmm… this is hurting him. A lot more than he's willing to admit.

"You doing okay?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says through gritted teeth. "Just hurry."

After several minutes, I tie off the thread, getting it as tight as I can. I pull Hiei into a sitting position and wrap him up again. He's breathing heavily. I shake my head. "Hiei, why is it you have such a high threshold for pain? That kind of thing doesn't just happen. You've trained yourself." I hesitate then ask, "Is that also why you're so emotionally guarded that you don't know how to pick up a girl? Why you're so cold?"

**Hiei POV**

Emotionally guarded? Cold? Trained myself not to feel pain? All of a sudden she adds, "Did you simultaneously train yourself to ignore physical and emotional pain?"

"Yes," I answer. Then, almost instinctively, I add, "Did you?"

She looks away, her red hair glinting in the late morning light. I see her tail twitch out of the corner of my eyes. Why is she suddenly so tense? "No," she murmurs. "I can't handle physical pain like you can. And the only way I can handle emotional pain is to avoid it."

"That's all I do," I admit. Why is it so easy to tell her this? Is it because she's hurting just as much as I am? Because she trusts people just as little as I do? Is that why I like her, why I want to form a… _do_ I want to start a real relationship? But… whether I want a relationship or a one night stand, she needs to trust me. And she won't trust me if I don't tell the truth. But… why doesn't telling her the truth sound as repulsive as telling the truth to anyone else, even Kurama? Just go with it, Hiei. Keep talking. "I stay away from people because no one has ever given me any reason to trust them. Not even Kurama. The only person I love is my sister. And she doesn't even know we're related." Keep the rest of my family secret for now, or she'll assume I'm lying. "I grew up among thieves and murderers." I hesitate then add, "_I'm_ a thief and murderer." Why does it feel like such a relief to open up to her?

She keeps her back to me, but she answers quietly, "I… I fell in love. His name was Aidan."

"He hurt you?" Why do I feel angry? The only other time I've felt this way is when Yukina's been in danger. I feel angry and… protective. "I'll kill him."

She spins around and hauls me off the bed. She picks up my katana and shoves it into my hands, her eyes flashing with a violence I've only seen rarely. But there's something else there I've seen far more often, lurking beneath the surface. Pain…? "Get out of my house," she hisses.

"What?" I ask. What did I say?

"Get out of my house," she says again more loudly, pushing me toward the door. "Leave. Get out. I never want to see you again." I stare at her a moment. Her tail is flicking violently behind her, and her eyes are watery. She is desperately trying to hold in tears. "Get out, Hiei."

I turn away and leave. What did I say? I don't understand. I stand outside her door. "Leah…" I say quietly. I know she can't hear me, but I don't know what else to do. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I said. I'm sorry."

I wander away. Perhaps… yes. I'll go see Zara. Maybe she can tell me why Leah reacted the way she did.

When Zara opens her door, she looks at me and immediately says, "What did you do?"

"How do you know I did anything?" I demand. Why does she assume it was me? I mean, I think I must have done _something_ but why does she assume it's my fault?

Zara rolls her eyes and pulls me into the apartment. "You got kicked out," she states. "You did something. Tell me what and we might be able to fix it."

I shrug. "I don't know what I did. I told her why I don't trust people. I… I want her to trust me." And the only reason I'm comfortable telling Zara this is because she is the only one who can help me. "Then she got angry with me."

"Just like that?" Zara asks.

"Well, she mentioned love, a guy named Aidan. I got the impression that he hurt her, so I threatened to kill him. And she blew up." I still don't understand what I did wrong.

"You—" Zara clenches her teeth and reaches out toward me, clenching and unclenching her fists. Why do I get the feeling that she is itching to strangle me? She takes a step back, takes a deep breath, and says, "You're an idiot."

"How do I fix it, Zara?" I ask. "And what did I even say?"

"I don't know if you _can_ fix it," Zara snaps. "You may have ruined Leah's one chance at happiness, Hiei. It's been six years, and you're the first man she's taken seriously at all." She was taking me seriously? Zara continues, "If she was opening up to you, Hiei, and you threatened to kill Aidan. She may never open up to anyone ever again, Hiei."

"I just… I didn't like seeing her hurting, Zara," I say. "I don't even know what I did wrong."

Zara's anger softens. Then she says, "At least your heart was in the right place."

"What did I do wrong, Zara?" I ask. "I just… I don't care about sleeping with her anymore. I just want to undo whatever it is I've done."

Zara hesitates then says, "You said you'd kill Aidan."

"So?" I ask. "Why is that such a big deal? If he hurt her, why does she still love him?"

Zara sighs, entirely disappointed in me. "When you love someone, when they love you as completely as Leah and Aidan loved each other…" She pauses then says, "I shouldn't be telling you this."

"Please, Zara," I say. "If you tell me, I can figure out a way to make things right."

Zara's eyes are sad. "No, Hiei. In Leah's eyes, things will never be right again. I thought you might be able to change her opinion. But now…"

"Who was Aidan to Leah?" I ask. Why does she have to be so frustrating? "Why does she still love him?" She does still love him, I can see that from the hurt in her voice and the things Zara has said.

"She still loves him because he never left," Zara says quietly. "He got sick, he died." She hesitates then says, "Aidan was her husband, Hiei. They were the stereotypical grow up as best friends, start dating, fall in love, get married, live happily ever after couple."

"Except the happily ever after ended," I state quietly. "Because he died." What have I done?

I stand. I have to make this right. I race back to Leah's apartment and pound on her door. "Leah," I say loudly. "Leah, I need to talk to you."

"Go away!" she shouts. "I never want to see you again."

"Leah, I just want to talk," I object. Why must she be so stubborn? All I want to do is humble myself—something I have done only rarely in the past—and she won't even look at me. "Let me in, or I'll pick the lock." That probably wasn't the best thing to say.

But it works, since the door flies open. Leah stands there, eyes red from crying. "Say what you need to say. Then leave." Her voice is commanding and she doesn't invite me in. Not that I deserve to be let into her home. Not after what I said.

"I'm sorry," I say. Zara probably doesn't want me to tell that she told me about Aidan, but it's the only way to show Leah that I truly regret my actions, "I talked to Zara…" Leah's eyes flash with something that falls somewhere between alarm and anger. "I didn't know, Leah. I'm sorry. I thought Aidan had broken your heart. I wanted to hurt him for the pain he had caused you. That's all. I… I need to learn to watch my mouth." Never would have thought I'd need to say something like that, considering I don't talk much. At least not around anyone but her.

She stares at me in confusion for a long moment then turns on her heel and walks back into her apartment. She leaves the door open. "Leah?" I call after her. When she doesn't respond, I follow her. I find her sitting at her kitchen table with her head in her hands. "Leah, are you okay?"

She doesn't answer, so I just sit down at the table. That's what Zara would tell me to do. I think. Just let her talk when she wants to. Suddenly she looks up at me, her eyes still swollen from crying. Then she asks, "If I sleep with you, will you leave me alone, Hiei?"

I look away from her. She still doesn't trust me, still doesn't like me. Well, I don't want to sleep with her anymore. No, that's a lie. I do. But not like this. I want… I want her to sleep with me because she loves me? Because… because I'm starting to fall in love with her? But… if she wants me gone, if that's what will make her happiest… but I can't let her know that I care about her. I can't let her see that any more than I already have. "Yes," I answer. If that's what will make her happy, I'll leave her alone.

Her eyes frown at me, there is a sadness on her face, but then she forces a small, half-smile onto her face. The grin is ironic and almost painful to see. Then she says, "Just another reason to avoid sleeping with you, I suppose."

What's that supposed to mean?

* * *

Once again, I didn't bother to proofread, just so I could get this to you ASAP, since I know it's been a while. I own everyone but Hiei. Hope you enjoyed it. Time for reviews. :)

DarlingAngelthewriter: Thank you... I think.

Allysarian: yeah. it's going to be fairly short. I never intended to write this story, but several people expressed interest in the Hiei-Leah relationship after the end of Runaway Train, so I decided to write it. But if I were to let it be as long as Runaway Train, I would kill myself. Right now, I think we're probably looking at anywhere from 10-20 chapters.

canopyskyandblanketseas: Thanks, I'm glad you're still liking Leah. Unfortunately... I feel like I wasn't able to keep Hiei as in-character this chapter as in the others. Urgh. That man is so frustrating.

animegrlsteph: What was that about admitting things? I think he admitted a lot more in this chapter than in the last...

FireStorm1991: Yes... that's part of the reason I love writing. It's often as much of a surprise for me what happens as it is for the readers. I don't think many people realize that. I think a lot of people feel like authors sit down and say, "okay, this is what I want to happen." Wrong. We (or at least I) sit down and yell at Kiyoshi to tell me what to write. then he yells back that he has no idea and that I should go to sleep. And then a chapter gets written, and more often than not I'm happy with it. What a strange world we live in of paper and ink and cyberspaceyness.

wolvesrain17: I'm glad you're enjoying it. :) Hope you liked this chapter too.


	6. Yukina

**Leah POV**

Hiei stares at me. What is wrong with him? All I said was that I'm not going to sleep with him. Which I've made clear from the beginning. But… is it really so hard for him to grasp that I want him to stay?

He didn't know about Aidan. When he found out, he apologized. He didn't even try to come in, not until I left the door open. And then it was just to make sure I was okay. "Quit staring," I say.

He ignores me. After a few long seconds, he asks, "Do you… _want_ me to stay, Leah?"

No, you idiot. I just expect someone as stubborn as you to leave without getting what you came here for. "Yes," I answer quietly. If that's what it takes to keep him here. I don't really care if he _doesn't_ care. As long as he'll stay, I'll have him. I can pretend he's mine for a while. It will hurt when he leaves, but I want to feel loved, at least for a little while. And he's good at pretending he cares. Maybe if he pretends long enough, it will stop being an act.

"Leah," he says with a small smile. How little does he smile? It looks almost unnatural, awkward and unsure as though he's out of practice. As though those muscles are the few on his body that are out of use. "I don't want to sleep with you anymore." What? I stare, and he corrects himself. "Well, I do, but not for the same reason." He stops and starts again. "Well, I'd still like to sleep with _you_ for the same reason. But getting laid for the sake of getting laid doesn't seem so important anymore. It's not really important at all." He looks away, his face frozen in an empty, emotionless look. He's embarrassed.

"Then why are you still here?" I whisper.

"You fascinate me," he replies softly after a moment's hesitation.

"When did your reasons change?" I ask.

There's another, longer pause in the conversation. Then, "The first time you redressed my wound when I could move." He doesn't look comfortable. Is he telling the truth? Or is he just a really good actor trying to win my trust?

Actually, it doesn't matter. I like him too much to care. I can be happy, at least for a while, just pretending to believe him. As long as I don't give him my body, he might stay. He's stubborn. If his heart is set on getting in _my_ pants, it will be a while before he gives up. But what if he does care?

"Hiei?" I ask quietly, "Can I meet your sister?"

He spins around to face me, looking something between shocked and angry. "No."

**Hiei POV**

When I tell her she can't meet Yukina, hurt and disappointment cross her face. But isn't it important that she meet Yukina? If I want her to trust me, if I want a relationship with her, won't she meet Yukina eventually anyway? Isn't the best way to win her trust to trust her first? As far as I can tell, Zara is the closest thing she has to family. Wouldn't it be fair to introduce her to my only family?

I sigh. "I'm sorry, Leah. I just… I don't want her to know we're related. She'll only get hurt." Might as well. Why is trust such a hard thing to stomach? "But if you swear not to tell her, I'll introduce you to her."

There is a confusion in her eyes when she looks at me. Then she smiles. "Thank you, Hiei."

"I'll go get her tomorrow. Can she stay here for a day or two?" I ask. Where she'll sleep, I don't know, considering there's only one bed. Wait—if I've been sleeping on Leah's bed, where has she been sleeping?

"She can," Leah says to me. "I'd like that. As long as she's not as irritable as you are."

"She's not," I promise. Wait. I just admitted that I'm easily annoyed. I—oh, forget it. "Leah, where have you been sleeping?"

"The couch."

"If you didn't like me, why did you give me the bed?" I can't figure her out. Her mouth says one thing, but her actions seem to indicate something else entirely. I'm getting very mixed messages.

"I don't know," she murmurs. Then she looks at me, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You fascinate me. I want to learn more about you."

"More about my anatomy?" I remark wryly.

She rolls her eyes. "Other than that eye, your anatomy from the waist up is only abnormal in that most people don't have such perfect muscles. I am going to assume that below the waistline, the same holds true." I raise my eyebrows, and she adds, "I am _not_ going to investigate to try to prove or disprove that hypothesis."

I can't help but laugh. Leah glares. Which only makes me laugh more. It's nice to laugh like this. It seems odd that I already trust her enough to show her this kind of emotion. Then she begins laughing too, so quietly I can barely hear it. But it makes me happy that I can make her laugh.

_The next day…_

I approach the temple. I already agreed to this, but how will I explain it to Yukina? When I walk in, there is a smothering silence in the place. It's never this quiet when I'm here. They're always making some sort of racket. I go to Yukina's room and knock on the door. "Come in," she calls happily. I enter and she glances up at me. "Hiei," she says in surprise.

I frown. "Yukina," I finally say. "I have this… friend, and I've told her a little bit about you. She wants to meet you."

"Of course," Yukina says brightly. "When?"

"Right now," I suggest. "She's expecting us."

"Oh," Yukina says, standing in surprise. "We should go then. I don't want to keep her waiting." I can't bear the idea of hurting her. She doesn't deserve that. And already… already I don't like the thought of hurting Leah. It's strange. I thought Kurama was an idiot for letting himself start caring about Anna so quickly. But now… I think I can understand why. Sometimes it's downright impossible not to fall for them. I think they do it on purpose, just to irritate us. And Leah… I almost wonder if she is doing it all on purpose. She wants me to fall in love with her, just so she can get back at me for breaking into her apartment. Well, she's been pretty damn successful thus far. I just have to be stubborn enough to get her to fall in love with me now.

_Later…_

I knock on Leah's door, and she opens it, ushering us inside. When we're seated at the kitchen table, I say, "Leah, Yukina. Yukina, Leah."

"Nice to meet you," Yukina says shyly.

Leah smiles brightly, looks at me and says, "She's sweet, Hiei. I like her."

"Everyone does," I respond. It's hard not to like Yukina. She's innocent and optimistic, in spite of all she's been through. And she never does anything that would hurt anyone.

As I listen to them talk and laugh together, sometimes at my expense, I find I am… pleased that they are getting along so well.

Yukina suddenly glances at me and says, "You're smiling, Hiei."

"So?" I ask. I've never been able to act quite so cold around her as everyone else.

"You never smile," Yukina says.

Leah frowns. What is she thinking? "He smiles for me," she finally says. I do?

Yukina looks at her curiously. "He must really like you," she sighs happily. After a few seconds, "Are you guys dating?"

Leah and I both freeze. "No," I finally say. Perhaps with a bit more force than is necessary. But I don't want her to get the wrong idea. Regardless of how I feel about our relationship, I don't want Yukina to think we are something we are not. I want _Leah_ to tell her. Which she won't. But I'll live. I'm stubborn. I'll hang around until she either kicks me out or falls in love with me.

"Why would you think that?" Leah asks her.

"There are…" Yukina pauses, searching for words. "What did Shizuru call it between Anna and Kurama? Sparks? Yes. There are sparks between you."

Kurama and Anna? Why is she comparing us to them? More importantly, why doesn't it bother me that she's comparing us to them? Because it means that Leah might return my vague, uncertain and convoluted feelings? Leah just frowns and changes the subject.

_Later…_

**Leah POV**

Yukina yawns. I glance at the clock. It's nearly midnight. "Let's go to bed," I suggest. "You can take the bed in my room."

"Oh no," Yukina replies fretfully. "I couldn't! Where would you sleep?"

"I insist," I answer. "I'll be fine."

After a while, I talk her into borrowing my bed. She falls asleep almost immediately. She is so sweet. I really don't think she could be more different from Hiei.

I walk out to the living room. Hmmm… perhaps I didn't think this through. I pull some blankets out of the closet and toss them onto the couch so Hiei can make his bed up. He might as well sleep on the couch like he did last night.

I make up a bed on the soft, shag carpet. I suppose there are more uncomfortable places I could sleep. Hiei frowns at me, but just makes his bed and lays down on top of the blankets. I stare up at the ceiling. I… I feel like I should say something to him. But I don't know what there is to say. "Thank you for trusting me enough to let me meet her, Hiei," I say.

"Hn."

I look over at him. He's lying on his side on the couch, watching me. Why does he watch me so much? It's almost creepy. "Is that all you have to say?" I ask.

"Yes," he says. "What more is there to say? I trusted you, and you proved that I don't have to worry about you telling her the truth. Why do care if that's all I say?"

I glare. Why does he have to be so irritable? "Fine," I snap. "Goodnight, Hiei." I role over, cross my arms, and wait for sleep.

**Hiei POV**

I watch her back. Why does her mood change so quickly? Ugh. She's so _frustrating_. The feel of the room slowly calms as she drifts closer and closer to sleep. Her breathing levels out. Okay. She's asleep.

I stand and quietly throw the blankets on the couch over the back of the sofa. I don't want to sleep on the couch when she's on the floor. I walk across the room and lift her up as gently as I can. Oh, dear god. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Heavy lifting is evidently not good on stomach wounds. I place her on the couch as easily as I can, covering her with the blankets. I look down at her and brush a strand of red hair from her face. Her ear twitches. She's so beautiful. When did that change? When did she change from being just a hot girl I wanted to get in bed with to a beautiful woman who deserves my respect?

The last bit is easy enough to answer. I began respecting her when she got the best of me in that fight. As for the rest… I don't understand it at all. She doesn't wake up, her breathing still even.

I lay down on the blankets on the floor. Why does someone else's happiness suddenly seem so important to me? I've never cared before. Why now? Why Leah?

I've heard it said that opposites attract. And that seems true. Yusuke and Keiko, one's stupid and loud, the other's smart and… well, I guess Keiko can get loud too when she wants to. But they don't have much else in common. And Yukina and Kuwabara. I know she likes him more than she's willing to admit. He doesn't know that she can never be with him. But he's loud, stupid and violent. Everything Yukina is not. And then there's Anna and Kurama. She's unpredictable as hell and she hates liars. Ironic considering Kurama's been a liar all his life, and he is always calm and calculating. Opposites attract.

But if that's true, why do I like Leah? Even I can see that we're not exactly opposites. We're both wary of getting close to people, we both tend toward the violent, we're both strong, neither of us is particularly opposed to killing but we don't go out of our way to kill people. Based on the move with the lid to the water tank of the toilet, she can think out of the box like I can. We're both stubborn. We're both uncomfortable talking about our feelings. We both have few people we're close to. I get the feeling she's attracted to me, despite her best efforts towards the contrary. As I am attracted to her.

We're the same. If opposites attract, why am I falling in love with Leah?

* * *

Well there you go. I only own... Leah in this chapter. Now for reviews. OH WAIT!

IF YOU WATCH NCIS AT ALL, YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE STORY 'DID YOU MEAN IT?' BY EGGNOG STARFISH 37. THE STORY AND THE AUTHOR ARE ON MY FAVORITES LISTS. IT'S HER FIRST STORY. AND SHE DIDN'T WANT ME TO NOTIFY YOU OF IT'S POSTING. SO I DID ANYWAY. :)

four-eyed 0-0: yeah, you are being paranoid. There is nothing between Andy & Leah. Andy is more of a supporting role. He cares about her, but just as a friend. He is _totally_ in love with Zara. if that clarifies anything.

Eggnog Starfish 37: Thank you. So much.

TeacupKitty: Well... I was watching the story develop, and I'm like 'this is just Runaway Train all over again.' Leah was just turning into a second Anna. Which i didn't want. Whatever.

wolvesrain17: Thanks. :) I'm happy you have so much faith in me.

animegrlsteph: I know... why is it so freaking hard to keep Hiei in character?

FireStorm1991: Haha, thanks. And Kiyoshi doesn't approve. He wants to sleep right now. I don't.


	7. Rowan

**AUTHOR NOTE: I AM DISCLAIMING ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS CHAPTER. I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT CAME FROM. THEREFORE IT IS PROBABLY KIYOSHI'S FAULT AND THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON FOR YOU TO FLAME ME.** That's all. Now for business as usual.

* * *

**Leah POV**

I wake up to find I'm on the couch rather than the floor. What? When did I move? I sit up and see Hiei dead asleep on the bed I originally made up for myself. He looks… peaceful. Not like he did when he was in my bed. Then he looked angry. What changed? And when did he move me? Why did he move me?

I volunteered to sleep on the floor. Is his moving me to the couch an indication that he does care? Actually… looking at him… he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would apologize, not even if that was the only way he could appease me. I think… Hiei seems like the kind of person who would cut his losses and give up on sleeping with me before he would apologize. But he still apologized.

I smile at him. He's not pretending. Whether or not he knows it, he's not pretending. He cares.

_Later…_

The three of us are sitting on the couch, watching a made-for-TV movie. I glance at Hiei. He cares. I scoot closer to him, so that our knees are touching. He hesitates, then puts his arm along the back of the couch. I turn slightly to the side and lean up against him. I feel his muscles tense beneath me, but he relaxes fairly soon.

**Hiei POV**

I've seen this before. They all do this. Keiko and Yusuke, Kurama and Anna. It seems to be a sign of affection when they let their women use them as a backrest. It seems to be a sign of affection when their women _want_ to use them as a backrest. Why is Leah doing this? Does she like me or not? Stop, Hiei. Don't overthink. She's okay with being close to you. I should just enjoy it while I can. I may not get another chance. Leah might not be willing to cuddle me again. Cuddle… that has to be one of the most ridiculous words I've ever heard in my life. It embarrasses me just to think it.

She has her head resting on my shoulder. This is uncomfortable. I move my arm so that it's around her rather than along the back of the couch. And… she doesn't object. I smile to myself. I might as well enjoy this while I can, since it probably won't happen again.

Yukina glances at us and smiles, then turns back to the stupid romantic comedy we're watching. I'm not sure why I'm putting up with this. No, I know why I'm putting up with this. It's because I like the way Leah's face is resting against my upper arm. I like being near her, and this is what she wants to do.

The movie ends, and Leah hasn't moved. I look down at her. She's fast asleep. I look at Yukina and say, "I guess you're taking the bed again."

She smiles. "I'm glad you're happy, Hiei."

Is it really that obvious? I nod. "Thanks, Yukina." She vanishes into Leah's bedroom, turning the TV and lights off on her way out. I have a big problem.

I could get used to being this close to Leah.

_Several weeks later…_

**Leah POV**

I walk into Zara's apartment unannounced. Zara turns around and sees me. "Leah!" She runs and gives me a hug. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"It's been two days, Zara." She has attachment issues.

She waves my words away. "Not the point."

"Then what is the point?" I ask. She's dying to tell me. I might as well let her have her fun. Not that that's good for me.

"You're spending all your time with Hiei," she pouts. "You're ignoring me."

"Isn't that what you wanted?" I point out.

She smiles brilliantly, the act fading away in a matter of seconds. "Of course it is. Well, sort of. I didn't want you to ignore me, but I did want you to start a relationship. And guess what tomorrow is?" I do not like where this seems to be headed.

"What is tomorrow?" I ask, humoring her.

"It's your two month anniversary!" Zara nearly shrieks, throwing her arms around me a second time.

"Two mon—annivers—Zara! We're not a couple!" I shriek right back, ducking out from under her arms. What is she talking about? We're not a couple. He cares, sure. But caring is not the same thing as loving. Which is not the same thing as being in love with. I care about Andy and Zara, I love them, but I'm not in love with them. Hiei… I am in love with him. And I think he loves me too. But you can't have an anniversary if you're not actually dating. If you haven't established what your relationship actually is.

Zara just rolls her eyes. "Please. You're in love with him. He's in love with you. You both totally want to do each other but are too stupid to actually act on it. You're living together." She nods, smiling in a very self-satisfied way. "You're a couple."

"When have I _ever_ given any indication that I want to sleep with him, Zara?" I demand.

"Who wouldn't?" she retaliates. That is a fair point.

"You better not want to," Andy warns her, smiling as he enters the room. He kisses her quickly. "I'd have something to say about that, I think."

Zara grins up at her boyfriend. If you can really call Andy her boyfriend. They've been together longer than most human couples. Almost fifty years now, I think. They just haven't ever bothered to get married. But the words boyfriend and girlfriend don't accurately convey how much they love each other. "What single girl wouldn't want to?" she rephrases. "That better, Andy?"

"Much." He kisses her again and goes to make lunch.

She looks at me. "Well, Leah? One reason you're not a couple."

"He…" I need an excuse. I can't be in a relationship. I can't do that again. Aidan… what should I do? I know that, as cliché as it sounds, you'd just want me to be happy. I know you wouldn't approve of the one night stands I've had. But… Hiei? He's nothing like you were, Aidan. How can I have loved you so much, but turn around and fall in love with someone so completely different? "He isn't in love with me," I finally settle on. "He cares about me, maybe even loves me, but he's not _in_ love with me."

Zara narrows her eyes. "You," she replies, "are full of crap." Maybe so. But a girl can only be hurt so many times before giving up. There was Mama. Then Aidan. Then there was… how many people am I expected to lose before I crack?

I shrug. Then Zara's eyes frown. "This isn't just about Hiei," she states.

I shake my head. "Not even close."

"It's about Hiei and Aidan and Marcello" Don't say it, Zara, don't say it. I don't know if I can take it. Don't say it. "and Rowan."

I look at her. She had to say it. I turn and walk out. "Leah!" she shouts after me. "Leah, come back! I didn't mean to upset you! I thought—" I slam the door, cutting off her words. That's still painful. That wound is still bleeding. Aidan… it's been six years since Aidan died. Ten since he got sick, seven since I knew I was going to lose him. I've come to terms with that. It may still hurt, but life goes on. But the mistake with Marcello… Rowan... that's just… that's not fair. That wound is still open. It's only been a little more than a year. After all I've lost, why did I have to lose Rowan also?

**Hiei POV**

Leah slams open the apartment door. God, what's got her worked up? She's normally in a _better_ mood after she's seen Zara. I look at her. Tears are streaming silently from her hazel eyes. "Leah," I say, standing up. "Leah, what's—"

"Leave me alone," she snaps at me. Then she stalks into her room and slams the bedroom door. What happened at Zara's place?

Does it matter? Leah's hurting. What am I supposed to do? I want to help her. But last time I tried to say something to help her feel better, I made everything worse. Is this about Aidan again? I knock on her door. "Leah," I say. "Leah, can I come in?"

"No."

I hesitate then ask, "Is this about Aidan again?" Silence. Yes, then. "Leah, I just want to help. I don't like seeing you in so much pain."

"No," she shouts through the door. "It's not about Aidan. It's all _your_ fault."

"All my fault?" I ask. How on earth could this be _my _fault? She was in a perfectly good mood when she left. "What the hell did I do?"

The door flies open. "You showed up. You made me remember why I'm scared of relationships." Is that what we have? She glares at me.

"How the hell is that my fault?" I snap again. "I'm sitting here, trying to make you feel better, and you're _mad_ at me?"

Her face falls and she suddenly steps backward, turns and sits down on her bed. She looks broken. She's a broken person. At least as broken as I am. Am I broken? I never thought so. But… I don't trust people. Perhaps, emotionally at least, there is something broken inside of me. Perhaps Leah is healing that in me. Why can't I heal the hurt in her heart?

I slowly cross the room and sit down next to her. "Leah," I whisper. "I'm here. Could you please tell me what's wrong?"

She turns her face into my shoulder and cries. She just cries. And then the names. Every so often her crying is broken by the sobbing of a name. The same three names over and over again. "Aidan… Marcello… Rowan." Aidan, I know who he was. But Marcello? Rowan? Who were they? The crying fades away and Leah just sobs, "Rowan… Rowan… Rowan…"

"Who?" I whisper before I can stop myself.

"Rowan," she murmurs. "Rowan. My baby, my boy."

"What?" I ask.

She turns away and curls into a ball on her bed. "Just go away, Hiei. I don't want to talk about it. Go talk to Zara. I'm sure _she'd_ be happy to tell you, the way she told you about Aidan. You two just love talking about me behind my back." Her voice is angry and hurt and a bunch of other things I can't identify. She must be really pissed at Zara if she's bringing up the fact that Zara told me about Aidan. "Just go away," she repeats. "I just want to be alone."

I… I bite my lip. I don't want to leave her alone like this. But… I have a few things to say to Zara.

I walk out of Leah's room and pull the door shut behind me. I turn and see Zara walk through the front door. She ignores me and heads for Leah's door. I catch her shoulder and stop her. "What the hell did you say to her?" I hiss.

"That's none of your concern," Zara snaps back. "This is between me and Leah. What I said was callous and stupid, but it doesn't concern you."

"The hell it doesn't," I spit. "She blamed me for bringing up memories."

"If she's blaming you, that's just more proof that this doesn't involve you," Zara hisses, trying to push past me. I stand firm. "If she wanted you involved, she would have told you what was really going on, or at least blamed me. She just wants you to stay out of it. This isn't your problem."

"Yes it is," I contradict her. My Leah is hurting. This involves me. "I don't like seeing Leah be hurt, Zara." My voice leaves no room for argument, and I can tell Zara hears that. "I don't care who hurt her, I will do my best to keep them from hurting her more, even if it's you. I can't let you talk to her until _she's_ ready to talk to you."

"You've been here for two months and you think you know Leah better than I do?" Zara snaps. "She's my _best friend_, Hiei. Now I suggest you get your hand off my shoulder so I can apologize and talk some sense into her."

"No," I repeat. "You can wait out here with me. She wants to be alone."

"Maybe she just wants to be away from you," Zara says, her voice rising.

As she finally breaks away from me, I say, "Maybe she just wants to be alone with her memories of Aidan and Marcello and Rowan. Maybe we should respect that."

Zara freezes, her hand already reaching up to open Leah's door. After nearly a minute, she turns to look at me. "She told you about Rowan?"

No. Just said his name about two dozen times. "If she did?" I challenge.

"She has never told anyone about Rowan," Zara whispers, walking away from Leah's door. "No one. Andy and I are the only two who even know of Rowan's existence. And she won't even talk about him around us. Which is why she's pissed at me. I mentioned him." Zara sinks into a seat at the dining room table. "She told you about him?"

"Sort of," I admit, sitting down next to her. "She said his name several times, called him her baby. What happened, Zara?"

Zara bites her lips. "Swear you won't mention any of it to her?"

Yes. Of course. She can probably hear us anyway. "Never, Zara. I just want to understand, I want to make sure I don't say anything to hurt her."

Zara sighs. "Rowan was her baby. After Aidan died, she got drunk a few times, there were a couple of one night stands." Zara frowns. "I'm not exactly innocent, either, considering I was just as drunk and encouraging her. There were three I think. The third was a man named Marcello." Zara shakes her head. "Funny how much your life changes when you get pregnant, Hiei."

"What?" Leah was… Rowan… her baby?

Zara nods, forcing a laugh at my face. But it's pained and sad. "Rowan was born at twenty six weeks."

"Twenty six?" I whisper. "Isn't that a bit… early?"

Zara nods. "That's really early, Hiei. Forty weeks is full-term. Twenty six is technically viable, but there can be serious complications."

I… I really don't like the sound of this. "When?" My voice isn't working, but Zara sees the question in my eyes and reads it on my lips.

"When was he born, or when did he… pass?" she asks quietly, looking at her hands.

"Both." My voice cracks as I think of Leah's pain. "Both," I repeat, working to make my voice more even.

Zara bites her lip so hard I'm sure her sharp front teeth are going to cut straight through it. Sure enough, a small amount of blood starts leaking from the wound. She licks the blood away and says, "He was born February 16, 2010 at 1:37 in the afternoon."

Do I want to know how long he lived? Perhaps the shorter, the better. Less time to form an attachment. Then again, what would I know? I've never been a parent. I've never even _wanted_ to be a parent. If Leah falls in love with me, if she decides she wants kids, would I be willing to raise kids with her? …Yes. I think so. And part of me, perhaps it's emotional, perhaps merely physiological, wants to have kids. Maybe it's evolution speaking, me wanting to pass on my traits to the next generation. More likely, though, it's that I… I love Leah. And I… _like_ the idea of her carrying my child. "When?" I ask again.

Zara looks at me and says, "5:50 a.m. February 17, 2010. He lived sixteen hours and thirteen minutes. Leah was—is—heartbroken. It didn't matter that she knew nothing more than the name of his father. It didn't matter that she only saw Marcello once. Rowan was still her baby. But there was nothing that could be done."

What do I say to Zara about this? Forget what I might say if Leah ever wants to talk about it. I shake my head in disbelief. "And she isn't"—what is it humans call it?—"clinically depressed?"

Zara shakes her head. "No. She's just afraid of relationships. I think she thinks she's got a curse on her or something. Sometimes I hear her muttering to herself. She's just waiting for me and Andy to die. She thinks it will happen because she cares about us." She stands. "Well… you're probably right, Hiei. I should just let her talk to me when she's ready. Just… when she comes out, tell her I'm sorry." Somehow, the tone of her voice seems to add _if she comes out_ to the end of her sentence. Then Zara walks slowly from the apartment. I sit at the table and wait for Leah.

_Eight hours later…_

Leah finally emerges from her bedroom. Her eyes are puffy and swollen. Then she looks at me and says, "Hiei, please leave."

"What?" I ask. I stare at her. Is she still mad at me?

"Leave, Hiei." She looks ready to cry again. "Don't come back. You'll just… they all… they always die. I don't want you to die." The silent tears start again. Why are those silent tears so painful to see? Why do I feel like it would be better if she would actually cry out loud?

I cross the room and pull her into my arms. "I'm not leaving, Leah. And short of sticking me with more of that poison, there is nothing you can do to change that." And then I'd come back the moment I could walk.

"Hiei…" Her voice breaks as she hides her face in her hands, her forearms a barrier between us, as though she can keep me from caring, as though she can keep herself from caring with them in between our bodies.

"I'm staying, Leah," I repeat. "That's final. Don't try and argue it. I'm at least as stubborn as you." I hesitate then add, "And you'd give up first, since you don't really want me gone."

She doesn't answer, just sobs quietly to herself.

_Later…_

**Leah POV**

I look at Hiei. He deserves to know. I love him. If I want this to last… he needs to know.

"Rowan was my son," I whisper.

He looks up at me, startled. "I know," he says. Then, a bit hesitant, he adds, "You don't have to tell me. Zara already did."

I shake my head. "Zara didn't know… doesn't know… Hiei… as hard as it was losing Aidan… Rowan was ten times worse. He… he was alive, dependent on me for six and a half months. And then my body couldn't hold onto him any longer. And because he wasn't full-term, he… he… It's my fault he's gone, Hiei. Zara doesn't know that it's _my fault_. Just a few more weeks and he would have lived."

Hiei stands up and walks across the room. He sits down next to me, puts his arms around me, rocks me back and forth. "It wasn't your fault, Leah," he promises me in a whisper. "You couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't your fault."

And, as his words wash over me, the same words I've heard from Zara, and Andy, and the doctors… they seem true for the first time. When Hiei says them, I feel a real sense of peace for the first time since Rowan was born. My baby boy… I start crying again, and this time Hiei doesn't say anything. He just holds me in his arms. Which somehow means more than any words could. Hiei isn't the type to show he cares so openly like this. Which means he must care a lot more than I thought. I just cry, he just holds me, and I start to feel myself fall asleep.

**Hiei POV**

Her sobs quiet, lessen, then stop entirely, her breathing evens out, and I know she's asleep. Why is there nothing I can do or say that might help ease her pain?

* * *

Hey. Don't be mad. Please. I don't know how to type pouty lips and puppy dog eyes, so you'll just have to picture them. Now for reviews.

DarlingAngelthewriter: glad you're so excited about this story. :)

animegrlsteph: glad you liked the last chapter. especially considering you probably hated this one.

four-eyed 0-0: Thanks for the review. :) I'm glad I cleared something up for you, although I honestly don't remember what it was... I admit, I fail at life.

FireStorm1991: I like Leah a lot too.

wolvesrain17: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry there wasn't much fluff this time around.


	8. Shizuru

_One week later…_

**Hiei POV**

There is a loud banging on the door to our—Leah's apartment. Leah doesn't move. I guess she expects me to get it. Then again, the only person who ever comes over to talk to her has a key. Zara just lets herself in. She has no reason to knock.

I open the door to find Shizuru. As I move to shut the door, she pushes past me, saying, "Oh no you don't. I want to meet the mysterious Leah, who has wrought such a great change on the Hiei we all know and love." Her voice holds almost nothing but sarcasm.

Leah looks up when she hears her name. Then she looks at me. "What is this, Hiei?"

"Shizuru," Shizuru answers, sitting down. "Yukina told me how to get here. I wasn't invited, I promise."

Leah frowns. "Good to know."

"So," Shizuru says, "Leah. How do you put up with our favorite fire demon here? He drives the rest of us up the wall."

"He drives me absolutely mad as well," Leah answers, barely glancing at me. Brilliant. She's going to get along with Shizuru as well.

I sit down at the table with them. Leah grins and touches my arm, half an apology. I can't figure out how she feels about me. Then she starts talking to Shizuru. Every once in a while, she touches my hand or my arm, sending a tingling sensation down my arm. Once she reaches out and pats my face. What is she doing?

After a while, her hair falls in her face. I hate it when she lets it do that. I like to be able to see her eyes. Without thinking, I reach up and brush her hair from her eyes and tuck it behind her ear. She smiles. Shizuru looks at me curiously. That was a bad idea. I get up and walk away.

I sit down on the couch and turn the TV on. I don't want to listen to any of this anymore. Shizuru isn't nosy in the normal sense, but she likes to know what's going on. And she has a way of getting people to talk to her without ever asking the questions she wants to know the answers to. And I get the feeling that a lot of the time she figures out exactly what's going on based on what people _don't_ say. Whatever. As long as I don't have to hear it.

**Leah POV**

Shizuru just watches me. "Well, Leah?" she asks me again. "I really want to know. How do you put up with him?"

"I threaten to bite him if he doesn't do what I ask." Actually that's only happened once, but that is entirely irrelevant. "And he really doesn't… no, I take that back. He annoys the hell out of me."

"Bite him?" she asks. "What are you, a vampire?"

I shake my head. "Hiei's allergic to cats."

Shizuru starts howling with laughter. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard." I frown. It's not funny. Then she says, "If you have a way to get Hiei to do what you want on a consistent basis, it's tangible proof that this relationship is meant to be." Uh-huh. So Zara keeps telling me. Shizuru stands. "That's all, really. I just thought I'd stop by before going to the store."

"Thanks?" I ask.

She laughs. "I know. Dropping by unannounced. Then again, that's how we all are. You should just be happy Yukina only told me where you live. If she had told Yusuke or Kuwabara or any of the others, this apartment would be like a train depot. People coming and going constantly. The only thing that keeps that from happening to the temple is that the temple is so far from town." She smiles again and adds, "So I will see you tomorrow then?"

"What?"

"We get together at the temple every Saturday." She turns to Hiei. "I think it would be nice if you joined us."

"Fine," Hiei grumbles. "We'll be there." Did he just agree to take me to meet his… friends? Shizuru leaves.

He just continues staring at the TV, but I get the feeling that he isn't really watching it. He's waiting for me to say something. "Are we really going, Hiei?"

The TV is off in a second and he's standing next to me almost immediately. It took a few weeks, but the paralytic did eventually wear off completely and he's back to his flitting around the room at speeds no one has a right to move at. I swear he does it just to piss me off. His wound finally healed also. There's still a nasty scar, but it's closed. And he still hasn't left. He asks, "Do you want to go, Leah?"

"Do you want to take me?"

His dark, almost-red eyes watch me for nearly a minute. Then he smiles. "Yes," he finally says. "Well, sort of. I don't really want to go at all. But…" He hesitates a long time before he says, "I don't really want you to meet them, since almost all of them are idiots. But whether I like it or not, they are part of my life. And I want you to be part of my life too."

He looks so uncomfortable. Does he mean that?

**Hiei POV**

What made me say that? Why would I tell her that? She doesn't care about me. Not like I care about her, at least. I have to admit, I love her. I _do_ want her to be part of my life. But I can't just go around saying things like that out loud.

She hesitates then asks, "You've complained about these… parties a lot, Hiei. Do you think it would be okay to invite Zara? It sounds like her kind of thing."

I nod. "I can't imagine Shizuru not being happy to have her. And based on what I know about Zara and how she acts around me, that is _definitely_ her kind of thing."

She nods. "I needed to talk to her anyway. I best go tell her we're going to a party tomorrow." She stands, kisses my cheek and vanishes out the door.

What just happened?

Did Leah just _kiss_ me? Leah just kissed me. Is she really falling in love with me? I kind of wondered, hoped, but she's never done anything to really show it. She's comfortable around me, she likes me… but I can't tell if she's falling in love with me. I know how I feel about her. Sort of. But I have absolutely no idea if she feels the same way. Well, I have an idea, but it's accompanied with no sense of certainty.

**Leah POV**

What the hell did I just do?

Did I just kiss him? Leah, you have got to be the _stupidest_ person I have ever met. Stupid, stupid, stupid. There was no reason to kiss him. He still thinks he just wants to get in your pants. You can't show him how much you care—how much I love him—until he realizes he cares about me. Otherwise… it might all just disappear. But what about what he said? Did he mean that?

Then, out of nowhere, he's next to me. He doesn't say anything. He just takes my hand in his and walks the rest of the way to Zara's with me. What is he doing? But when we get to her building, he pulls me into the shadows next to the building. This is actually kind of creepy, even for him. What is he doing? "Hiei, what's going on?"

"I wanted to come with you," he answers, looking at me. Okay, that's really not fair. He has somehow got that smoldering of the eyes down to an art, perfected in less than three months and he has the whole bad boy thing going for him too. He most definitely does not play fair.

"I got that," I answer. "I meant why are we standing off to the side of the building?"

Out of nowhere, he leans in and kisses me. On the lips, no words, no warning, nothing. Instinctively, I kiss back. What else am I supposed to do? I love him.

When I pull away, he stares into my eyes. I never thought I'd be this attracted to a guy who was barely as tall as I am. I've always liked tall guys. But Hiei is barely an inch taller than me, if that. But in his eyes… even though he isn't saying anything out loud, his eyes are shouting that he loves me. Shouting, yelling, screaming it. They are screaming that he knows he loves me to. He reaches up and cups my hand in his face. And he kisses me again. He still says nothing. He doesn't need to. There are no words.

**Hiei POV**

There are no words to express how much I love her. And the moment she started kissing me back the first time, I suddenly knew. She isn't pretending to love me just so I'll fall in love and she can spite me. She loves me too. She loves me as much as I love her. And I could see on her face that she knows I love her. And she knows I know she loves me.

But what made us realize this so suddenly? My slip of the tongue, admitting that I want her to be part of my life? The simple kiss on the cheek when she left? Does it really matter? She loves me. Who cares what brought on the epiphany? All that matters is that I am holding Leah, she is kissing me, and we love each other.

I pull back and whisper, "I haven't told you everything about my family, Leah."

She shakes her head. "Yukina did. She didn't know she was talking about you, of course, but I know it all already. What brought this up?" She looks at me earnestly.

"I know what seems to be all the important things about your family," I answer, and she flinches. I just say, "I thought you deserved to know the painful truth about my family."

She smiles. "Thank you, Hiei. Shall we go tell Zara and Andy?"

"Tell them what?" I remark. "That we're going to the get-together or that we kissed?"

She rolls her eyes. "Somehow I doubt Zara will need to be told that you kissed me."

That is probably true. Zara has a weird perception regarding the two of us. I don't understand it at all. But it wouldn't surprise me if she already knows what just passed between me and Leah. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if she knew _before_ it happened.

We walk up to Zara and Andy's apartment, and Leah unlocks the door, letting herself in. They each have three keys. Sort of. Zara has a key to both apartments, Leah has a key to both apartments, Andy has one to Zara's, and about a month ago… Leah gave me her spare key. Now that I think about it, that may have been when I first started realizing that she loves me. It was when I first realized she genuinely wanted me to stay for an extended length of time at the very least. Now… she wants me to stay forever. I want to stay forever.

"Leah!" Zara shouts when she sees her friend. Her eyes fall on me and immediately go wide. She shrieks, jumps up and hugs Leah, "Finally! The two of you have decided to stop acting like idiots! When are you going to sleep together?"

I can feel my face turning red. That never would have bothered me before. Now… why am I more embarrassed to talk about sex with a woman I love than I used to be about the same subject in regards to a stranger? It makes no sense. Love in general makes no sense. Leah doesn't look embarrassed in the slightest. She's far to used to Zara's comments to be bothered by it anymore, I suppose. Then she asks, "Your business? I think not."

Zara turns to me. "Hiei? When are you going to sleep with my best friend?"

Leah looks at me. She raises her eyebrows. Does she _want_ me to answer? "Whenever Leah can't restrain herself any longer," I answer.

"So he's the perfect gentleman now, is he?" Zara asks sardonically.

Leah doesn't respond, just stares at me, a curious expression on her face.

**Leah POV**

When I can't restrain myself any longer? He genuinely cares enough that he's going to let _me_ set the pace of the relationship? But… why in the world did he have to phrase it like that?

I turn to Zara and say, "We've been invited to a party tomorrow night. You in?"

Her eyes light up. "Hell yes."

* * *

Sorry it's been so long. I got stuck, and then the site was being stupid. Grrr... You know who I own. Time for reviews...

four-eyed 0-0: Well, I hope this chapter was adequate. :)

Insanity4Apples: Yes, I remember. :) And I got a lot of that. Hence this story.

animegrlsteph: tell me about it.

canopyskyandblanketseas: thanks. Glad you liked it. In all honesty, it depressed me. and i don't trust Kiyoshi's cooking abilities either.

wolvesrain17: no, I'm not trying to make you cry. Kiyoshi might be, but if he is, he's trying to make me cry also.

FireStorm1991: yeah, poor leah. that pretty much sums it up.

DarlingAngelthewriter: glad you're still liking it. :)

Allysarian: it's all good. as long as you're still reading. :) As for plot twists... now you know how I feel. I sat down to write that, realized what was happening and I was like 'no no no no no no no! not acceptable!' but it happened anyway.


	9. Anna

_The next evening…_

**Hiei POV**

The four of us approach the temple. I'm regretting agreeing to this more and more. There is no way this can end well. I've gotten the impression over the last few months that Zara likes getting drunk. And Leah isn't precisely opposed to it. But in the same room as a bunch of hardcore drinkers, partiers and battle junkies… this just seems like a really bad idea.

Zara is carrying three different kinds of booze. I guess she figured if she was joining the party, she might as well contribute. Yet somehow, Leah bewilders me more. Her behavior isn't nearly as off-the-wall as Zara's, but it's always Leah who leaves me confused.

When we walk in, no one notices. The party is already in full swing. Typical. Idiots, all of them. Zara's eyes widen, but I get the feeling that it's in delight. She grabs Andy's hand and drags him off into the midst of the others who are already drinking and talking and joking. No one can accuse her of being shy, I suppose.

Almost immediately Kurama sees me. And then he sees Leah next to me. Leah is still looking around the room, trying to take it all end. Without looking at me, she reaches out and grabs my hand.

**Leah POV**

This is definitely Zara's kind of place. Me… I have to be a little bit drunk to enjoy this kind of thing. I don't like people enough for this. But when I get drunk, I get stupid. Not that it matters. Hiei loves me. What I do with him from here on out… it's not just out of stupidity. There's love behind it too.

A man with violent red hair approaches us. He's… what is he? Human? Demon? Actually, I don't care. I just stand next to Hiei, close but not close enough. I'm holding his hand, but I don't want to make anything obvious that he doesn't want everyone to know. I reluctantly drop his hand. The man gives Hiei a curious look. "Good to see you, Hiei."

"Hn," Hiei replies. Why is he in such a bad mood all of a sudden? Is this Kuwabara? He's the only one Hiei showed open hostility toward when talking about his friends.

I poke Hiei's arm. "Are you going to introduce us or do I need to introduce myself?"

"You can both speak. And I know neither of you is really shy. You both just pretend to be that way." Hiei looks away, almost longingly, to an empty corner of the room. What's with that?

I offer my hand to the man. "Leah."

He takes my hand and nods politely. "Kurama." Kurama? But… I thought Kurama was Hiei's only real friend. Why is Hiei behaving so coldly?

"Nice to meet you," I say.

He nods then turns and calls across the room, "Anna!" A petite, very pretty, dark-haired girl turns to look at him. "Come here."

"You come here," she shouts back.

He sighs and tells me, "One moment." He crosses the room and returns, carrying his wife over his shoulder.

"Put me down," she yells. "This is _not_ fair."

He places her on the ground, then says. "Anna, Leah."

Anna glances at me, then Hiei. Then she says carefully, "Hello, Hiei."

"Whatever." Hiei won't look at her. What's with him? Why is he in such a bad mood?

Anna smiles brightly. "I knew it," she says triumphantly. "I told you you needed to get laid, Hiei." What does that have to do with anything? "I knew it would put you in a better mood." Kurama laughs as Hiei glares. This is a better mood? What is he normally like around them?

**Hiei POV**

Leah looks at me. "Hiei," she says. "I'm thirsty. Go get me a drink."

What is she, crippled? "No. You can walk. Go get it yourself."

"Please?" she asks, looking at me earnestly. I _hate_ it when she does this. I know she won't really be angry if I say no. In fact, I get the feeling that she's not really thirsty. She just wants me to leave so she can talk to Anna and Kurama alone. But if I say no, she'll pretend to be upset. And she knows I don't like seeing her upset. Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that she's not above using that to manipulate me. "Fine," I say. "Fine. I'll get you the freaking drink." Unfortunately, I can't seem to tell her no even when I know she's manipulating me. And I think there have been times she's manipulated me when I wasn't aware of it till afterwards. I _knew_ there was a good reason to stay away from women. I'm Leah's freaking slave, by my own free will. I glower and stalk away to get her a drink.

**Leah POV**

Recently I've noticed that he can't seem to tell me no. And I think he's realized this too, but he can't seem to help it. And I'm not above using that against him. Does that make me a terrible person? He just walks away, grumbling about how much he hates women. Typical.

Kurama stares after him. Then he asks, "Did you just get Hiei to do what you want without forcing him at swordpoint?"

Yes. I ignore him and ask, "This is considered a better mood?"

"Yeah," Anna says slowly. "Normally he'd be sitting in the corner ignoring everyone by now, muttering occasional complaints about our stupidity."

"Really?" I ask. I can believe the muttering of complaints, but I can't see him just avoiding everyone. Not talking maybe, but I would have thought he'd stand and listen to conversations. "He seems like he's in a bad mood." Kurama and Anna glance at each other, but they don't say anything. So I do. "Anna, I wanted to thank you. Hiei makes me happy, which I haven't been in a long time. We wouldn't have met if you hadn't told him to get laid."

Anna grins, but it isn't ashamed at all. In fact, she laughs. I think she'd get along well with Zara. "You're welcome. But I never thought he'd bring the girl home. I was betting on a one night stand."

No… we haven't even slept together yet. Then Anna looks at her husband and shakes her head. "Looks like you, Keiko and Botan win. I guess it paid off to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Win?" I ask. What is she talking about? Does she mean they had an actual bet going?

Kurama smiles, looking slightly embarrassed. "We had an actual bet going when Hiei left like he did. A few people bet that he had no intention of getting laid. Most of them called a one night stand. Only of a few of us gave him the benefit of the doubt and said he'd bring you home."

I really don't understand. How different is he round me? I smile. "Would it make a difference if I told you we haven't slept together yet?" Unless you count the times I've fallen asleep on his shoulder and he hasn't wanted to make me move.

Anna and Kurama stare at me. "What?" Anna finally asks.

Where is Hiei? I think he's taking as long as he can in order to avoid Anna. Oh well. "We haven't slept together yet," I repeat.

Anna looks at Kurama and says, "Unbelievable. Un-freaking-believable."

Kurama nods. "I was giving him the benefit of the doubt, but _this_ I was not expecting."

What is going on? Anna turns and shouts across the room, "Shizuru, get over here!"

Shizuru appears, beer and cigarette in hand. "Yeah?" she asks.

"What in hell," Anna demands, "made you bet Hiei would bring the girl home _before_ sleeping with her?"

Shizuru grins. "No one else bet that. I wanted to shake things up. And I was counting on Hiei's lack of social skills to piss a powerful demon chick off. I was also betting he'd unintentionally choose a girl just as stubborn as he is. A long shot, sure, but those are what I'm best at."

"That's just not fair," Anna complains.

Hiei reappears and hands me a beer. I grin at him. "Are you trying to get me drunk, Hiei?"

"No," he mutters. "Why would I want to do that? You're annoying enough as it is." You'd never know he loves me. Then again, the way I treat him half the time, you'd never guess I love him.

"Oh, thanks," I say sarcastically.

"No problem."

I set the beer down on the nearest table. "Do you want to leave, Hiei? Zara and Andy will be fine on their own. They can get drunk and pass out without our help."

He looks at me. "You're not funny, Leah."

He thinks I'm making fun of him. "I'm not trying to be funny, Hiei. You're more unhappy here than I thought you'd be. You said you wanted me to meet them, but you don't seem thrilled about it now that we're here."

His face softens. "I'll be fine. I've put up with these idiots dozens of times before. Once more won't kill me. I'll just sit in the corner. You can do whatever."

I smile. "Thanks, Hiei." I like his friends. Maybe it's because they remind me of Zara. I seem to enjoy being around people like that. For some stupid reason.

**Hiei POV**

Suddenly she leans forward and kisses my cheek. Anna, Kurama and Shizuru stare. Why are they staring at me? It's not like I kissed her. "What?" I snap.

"You're smiling," Kurama tells me.

"So?" I snap.

He grins. "No matter how much you accuse me of being an idiot for falling in love, you are just as bad."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I demand.

"If a kiss on the cheek is all it takes to make you grin like an idiot, you're more in love with her than I thought," Shizuru notes. "Especially considering the two of you haven't slept together yet."

I look at Leah. She looks totally unsurprised. "You told them?" I accuse. Now they're going to think I'm not capable of getting laid.

"Oh, don't be so touchy," Leah snaps. "They think the reason you haven't gotten lucky is that you pissed me off. And that I'm just as stubborn as you are, so that once you pissed me off, I wouldn't sleep with you just to piss _you_ off."

Why is she so _frustrating_? "Well that's the truth, isn't it?" I snap back at her. Calm, Hiei. You don't need to get mad. But why is she revealing the intimate details—or lack thereof—of our relationship to everyone else?

"Pretty damn close," she hisses back, getting very close to baring her teeth at me. Which is a pretty high level threat with the way I react to her spit. Then she turns on her heel, tail twitching violently and stalks away, probably to find Zara.

I turn and head to the corner, muttering, "Cats and women. How the hell am I supposed to put up with either of them, much less both at the same time?"

As I sit down, I hear Anna ask, "And they're supposed to be in love with each other?"

I look over and see Shizuru shrug. "All I know is that when I was over there yesterday, Hiei was in a better mood than I've ever seen him in."

"Better than today?" Anna asks.

"Oh yeah," Shizuru says. "And Leah couldn't keep her eyes off him." She couldn't? Shizuru smiles. "And she never missed an opportunity to touch his hand, his arm, his shoulder. Once she found an excuse to touch his face." Shizuru glances at me and adds, "And he didn't object at all. Once he reached out and brushed her hair back with a gentleness I wouldn't have thought he would be capable of showing, even if he ever did fall in love."

"If they love each other…" Anna begins. "If they love each other, why do they seem to hate each other so much?"

Shizuru shrugs. "Did you really expect Hiei to have anything even remotely close to a normal relationship? And it only seems to be this argumentative when their around more than one person." Not. Shizuru just wasn't there long enough.

"Anna didn't even expect him to _have_ a relationship," Kurama points out, catching Anna's hand as she moves to hit him.

The thing is, neither did I.

_Later…_

Leah comes up and sits down next to me. She doesn't look at me, but the end of her tail keeps twitching against my leg. After a minute she says, "They're talking about us."

"I know." And it's not just Kurama, Anna and Shizuru anymore either.

The artificial light glints of her golden-red hair as she turns to look at me. And I can see that they're right. It's so obviously there. In her eyes, I see two things. The first, more dominant one is the love. I don't know how I missed it before. Leah loves me. Just as much as I love her. The second, less pronounced one is an apology. For getting mad? For telling the others we haven't slept together yet? I'm just as guilty of the first, probably more so. I just look at her. How do you say you're sorry when both people are at fault?

She smiles and nods, as though she knows what I'm thinking. Then she shifts closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her and hold her to me. I love her and she loves me, and all is forgiven. That's all that matters. I understand why the others act the way they do. This feeling of love is overpowering. This relief at being forgiven is overpowering. Both can take control. And the love can make you behave in ways you wouldn't do otherwise.

As though to prove my point, it turns my head to the side and presses my lips gently to the top of her head. I've kissed her before, but never in front of anyone. But she doesn't respond. I think… did she fall asleep on my arm again? Why is it she always falls asleep when she sits up against me? More importantly, why do I care? I get to be close to her.

I stand, carefully lifting Leah in the process, making sure her head is still resting comfortably on my shoulder. Where is Shizuru? I find her and ask, "You have a room she can sleep in tonight?"

Shizuru nods and leads me to an empty room. I gently rest Leah on the bed and leave the room. As I close the door my gut is aching in the place where she hit me with the knife. It still isn't entirely healed. It looks healed, feels healed on the surface, but it's still sore half the time. I really need to avoid getting bit by her or getting that poison in me at all. And I really need to stop carrying her. It might actually heal properly if I do that. Then Shizuru says, "That was sweet, Hiei. I knew there was a reason I thought you'd fall in love. It's cute."

Cute. I've been called cute. My life is officially over.

At least Shizuru hasn't told anyone else that I'm allergic to cats.

* * *

Well, today is a happy day. I actually got up off my butt and decided to update. Sorry it's been so long. 2 reasons: lots going on and I'm lazy on top of that. Yay. You know who I own/who I don't own. Time to talk to my lovely reviewers (who I _hope_ are still reading this).

Insanity4Apples: Haha. Crystal and Ricky still make me laugh. Thanks for the review. :)

animegrlsteph: Zara's comments... they really make me wonder what kind of person Andy is, to be so in love with her. And I'm the author, so y'know, I definitely do know what kind of person Andy is. Not.

wolvesrain17: I hate fluff. End of story. If this is the case, why is it so easy for me to write?

Allysarian: PLEASE DON'T MURDER ME! I know it's been forever. *hides behind computer chair* And, actually, I don't remember if I intended to have Hiei sound arrogant or not when he said that. I read your review, got a bit confused because I forgot what-oh! When I wrote it, I just meant that Hiei is letting Leah set the pace of the relationship (how OOC...), but he knows that she is very much attracted to him, so it was only a matter of time before she decided to stop being stubborn. So it's really more about who can be more stubborn. That's what I was thinking when I wrote it (I think). HOWEVER, I honestly like your interpretation of him being a little bit arrogant much better. Glad you interpretted it that way. :)


	10. Kurama

_The next morning…_

**Leah POV**

I wake up in an unfamiliar bed. I sit up slowly to see Hiei sitting against the wall across the room from me, watching me. "That's really creepy, you know, to watch someone sleep," I inform him.

He shrugs. "And how many times in the past have you accused me of being a creep or just being creepy in general? It's not as though this is a new development."

I bite my lip to keep from smiling. "What happened last night?" I ask. "What stupid stuff did I do?"

"What do you mean?" he asks. Is it really that hard of a question?

I look at him. What does he mean, what do I mean? Shouldn't it be obvious? I got so drunk I don't remember anything. Which means I did something stupid. I look down at myself. Well, all my clothes are on at the very least. "I got drunk. I don't remember any of last night. I remember making up with you, but nothing after that." Weird place for my memory to end, since everything is perfectly clear up to that point.

"Leah," he answers slowly. "You didn't get drunk. We made up, then you… snuggled"—why does it sound so wrong for Hiei to use the word _snuggled_?—"up against me and promptly fell asleep. That was at maybe nine o'clock. You didn't have time to get drunk." Really? I fell asleep that early? Heh. And then he carried me back here, and watched me sleep. Which… it isn't really that creepy. Well, not since we established we don't want to ever leave each other. It's more… protective, as opposed to creepy.

**Hiei POV**

Leah looks both shocked and pleased. I shake my head. Just… "Leah, why do you fall asleep whenever you sit up against me? It seems like every time…"

She gives me a crooked half-smile. "I feel safe."

Why does that answer seem so simple and so complicated at the same time? "Leah, I know from experience you're perfectly capable of protecting yourself. There is no reason for you to feel any safer with me than without me." It makes me happy that she feels that way, but there's no reason for it. No logical reason for it at least. And I'm not exactly a safe person to be around as it is.

She shakes her head. "Not physically safer, Hiei. Emotionally. I feel at peace when I'm that close to you. I forget what it's like to have a broken heart." She stands, crosses the room and pulls me to my feet. She doesn't release my hand. "I trust you, Hiei."

Then, before I can stop them, the words are out of my mouth. "Leah, do you want to get married?"

She stares at me. And stares at me. And stares at me. Hiei, why are you so dumb? That was just _stupid_. There is no other word for it. You haven't even been dating her that long. But we love each other. Does time matter when you love someone this much? Finally she asks, "Are you proposing, Hiei?"

"Yes. No. Maybe." I don't know what the hell I was thinking. "Yes, but unintentionally." Why am I such an idiot? How does she do this to me, get me so confused I can't even think straight?

"Do you want to get married?"

Huh? "Leah, what do you mean?"

"I mean, can we just be what we are now, or is a wedding important to you?" she asks.

Do I want a wedding? No. Not a chance. But if Leah wanted it… "I really don't want a wedding. But if you want one…"

She smiles, and I hear her laugh to herself. What's funny? Then she says, "I'm going to have to refuse your proposal." No, she's not supposed to… why? She adds, "I'm happy now, Hiei. There is no need to change anything."

I frown. "You married Aidan." Why do I sound so jealous? And why'd I have to bring him up?

But, strangely, it doesn't seem to bother her. "Because he wanted it, Hiei. I didn't care either way. But he wanted the wedding."

"Why I cannot imagine," I can't help but remark.

"I'm right with you on that," she laughs. "So it's agreed. No marriage or, at the very least, no wedding."

"Yeah. I can only take Kurama calling me a hypocrite so many times before I snap. If I get married, I will never hear the end of it." That's not to say I'm not a hypocrite in this situation, just that I don't want to hear it.

She nods. "A secret, lifetime commitment will do nicely."

"I don't think it's really much of a secret at this point."

She laughs. Then, out of the blue, she says, "I'm hungry. Let's go get food."

I nod, and we walk to the kitchen together. Kurama's the only one up at this point. Which is perfectly fine by me. Leah makes herself a bowl of cereal, contemplates it momentarily, then pushes it at me. "I need to wash up. You can eat this. It'll be soggy by the time I get back." And she's gone.

I pick up the spoon and begin eating. I can feel Kurama's eyes analyzing me. Finally he asks, "How'd it happen? How did the great Hiei fall to the level of the rest of us lovesick fools?"

I look up and glare at him. "I pissed her off, she got stubborn, I got stubborn, and then… I don't know what the hell happened."

Kurama smiles knowingly. "At least she isn't denying her feelings, Hiei. Anna… she loved me for months before she even showed me she liked me."

"Leah and I are not Anna and you," I remind him. No, we're not. But our relationship is at least as screwed up and abnormal.

He nods. "But you can at least sympathize with me now on how hard it is not to fall for them. And how frustrating it is when there's absolutely nothing you can do about it."

I frown at him. "I suppose."

It's a long time before he asks, "Was she telling the truth, Hiei?"

"What?" What's he on about now?

"She said you haven't slept together. Is she telling the truth?"

"Is it your business?" I ask him.

"Not particularly. Just curious."

I sigh. He's… Kurama… somehow, he's my friend. "She was telling the truth. Why does it matter?"

He shakes his head and sits back in his chair, folding his arms. "I'm not sure. I'm just a bit confused, I suppose. I had this gut feeling that you'd fall for the girl, but I didn't think you'd fall so hard you'd bring her home before you'd gotten what you came for."

I hesitate then ask, "You swear you won't tell anyone?" He frowns then nods. I say, "I think… I followed her home and broke into her house. Then she attacked me."

"And you didn't kill her?" Why does he sound so impressed? Does he think I restrained myself? No.

"She got the better of me, Kurama. She got me in the side with a knife. And I passed out."

He frowns. "You're not telling me the whole story. You do not pass out from a knife wound, Hiei."

"I had coated the knife with my saliva," Leah's voice says from the door. "Fast-acting paralytic. And he is apparently allergic to cats. It's a miracle I didn't kill him."

Wonderful. She's just going to tell everyone, isn't she? I turn to look at her. How is it that she looks more beautiful now, with her hair half-mussed, than she does when she's all nice and has her outfit done up perfectly? Kurama starts laughing at me. "Okay," I say. "Let's hear it. Get it out of the way. Because I don't want to hear anything about it after today."

Kurama shakes his head then says, "Hiei, I just realized why you got her the drink last night. You're afraid of upsetting her. And not just because you love her."

"Make your point."

"I just find it immensely entertaining that she has something like that on you. And it seems apparent that, for demons as powerful as us, we are invariably weaker than our partners, if only because we can't bring ourselves to raise a hand against them."

Leah sits down next to me and takes what's left of her cereal back from me and begins eating it. What is she doing? "I used that spoon," I tell her.

She looks at me as though I'm crazy. "So?"

"Never mind." She's… she's okay with using a spoon after I've eaten with it? Somehow, that… she doesn't mind…

**Leah POV**

Why does he look so confused? "Hiei," I say. "Let's go home."

He nods then says to Kurama, "That's another thing, Kurama. I didn't bring Leah home. You guys keep saying 'I brought the girl home.' I didn't. This is not home. Leah's apartment is home." Without another word he turns and strolls out of the room.

Kurama stares after him. "Unbelievable," he finally says. "This… Leah, you actually got Hiei to…" He looks at me, an intense curiosity on his face. "Did you drug him into believing he's in love with you?"

"No." Although sometimes it does seem like he's drugged, as in love with me as he is. The same could be said of me, though, I suppose. "The only drug I gave him was the paralytic. That wore off quite a while ago."

Kurama nods. "Thanks, Leah."

"For what?"

Kurama smiles. "Hiei… it may seem ridiculous to say this, but Hiei is my friend. And, somehow, you did something that has made him happier than I've ever seen him. I think you've made him happier than he's ever been before in his life. I've seen him content, but never _happy_."

There isn't really any way to answer that, is there? I just smile, nod and follow Hiei out the door.

_About two months later…_

**Hiei POV**

Only for Leah. There is no way anyone, not even Yukina, not even under threat of death… okay, maybe under threat of killing Yukina. But there is no way I would have volunteered to do dishes for anyone other than Leah. As I begin drying the dishes I've just finished washing, Leah comes up behind me. Then she wraps her arms around my waist and rests her chin on my shoulder. "We can finish those later, Hiei," she says, her breath tickling my ear.

"Hmmm?" I ask.

"I have decided I'm done… restraining myself," Leah says. What on earth is she talking about?

I turn around, still in her arms. "Leah, what do you mean?"

She kisses my cheek. "That's what you said, isn't it? You'd wait until I couldn't restrain myself any longer?" I still have no idea what she's talking about. She begins kissing my face, gently. Then she presses her lips to mine. At first it's tenderly, then more deeply, more forcefully, especially as I encourage her by kissing her back. She presses her lips to mine harder, forcing my mouth open. Oh, I just want to—I pull out of the kiss. She looks at me, a pain in her eyes it's killing me to have caused. "What's wrong?" she asks.

"Leah, we need to be careful," I warn her.

"I'm on birth control, Hiei."

I shake my head. "No. I just don't particularly want to be paralyzed again."

She grins. "That's all?" She starts kissing along my jaw. "I can only produce so much of that drug each day. I already emptied it into jars. Then I brushed my teeth, rinsed out my mouth. The likelihood that any is left is very, very low." She leans forward and breathes in my ear, "Anything else you're worried about?"

I kiss her, just below her ear, moving slowly down her jawline and then up to her lips. "No."

"Good."

**Leah POV**

I pull out of the kiss and slowly lead him back to my room. He follows, almost reluctantly, as though he is entirely uncertain if I'm serious. I stop in the doorway and kiss him, running my hands up under his shirt, gently rubbing them along his hardened chest muscles. Then he doesn't object when I slowly pull his shirt off. I turn him and push him onto the bed. I lean over him and kiss the scar where I stabbed him. Then I slowly kiss up his chest and neck until I am once again at his lips.

He kisses me for a few seconds then gently, carefully, tenderly, rolls me onto my back and unbuttons my pajama shirt.

**Hiei POV**

She looks so beautiful, lying there on the bed. "Hiei," she whispers. "I want you. More than anything."

She wants this. I've… I had been waiting for her to decide she was ready, and I thought I'd be thrilled when the time came. But now, I feel far less lust than I ever have in the past. I want to take her for my own, but at the same time I want to give myself over to her entirely. Perhaps this is the difference between sleeping with a stranger and making love to a person you've committed yourself to, body and soul.

I place my hands on her, and she smiles quietly, looking up at me, her eyes filled with love and trust.

_Later…_

She rests her head on my chest as we lie quietly beneath the sheet. This was far sweeter than I would have imagined. "Leah," I say quietly. I want to tell her how much I love her, but the words catch in my throat. To simply say 'I love you' would be a lie. Those words are not strong enough. I hold her shoulders with my left arm and kiss her temple. I can only hope she knows how much I care for her. There is nothing I can say that would tell her.

"Hiei," she sighs. And… I hear the love I feel for her. Perhaps you don't need to say something like that for the other person to know. It's a while before she whispers, "And, Hiei…"

"Yeah?"

"I have come to the conclusion that your anatomy from the waist down is perfectly normal."

* * *

Well, there you have it. :) Time for answers to reviews!

canopyskyandblanketseas: I'm glad you're still liking the story, since I'm writing it for you. :) And yes, Hiei does deserve Leah.

Kusiel's Fallen: thanks. glad you're enjoying it.

four-eyed 0-0: I really don't think Hiei is all that thick. of course, I don't really remember what happened last chapter (been too long? yes.)

wolvesrain17: thanks. I think.

Allysarian: I do my best. It drives me crazy when it takes people forever to update.

animegrlsteph: thanks. :)

Insanity4Apples: thanks, glad you enjoyed it. :) is Ricky feeling any better?


	11. Aino, Brennan, Hina and Aidan

_4 years later…_

**Leah POV**

Zara runs up to me, looking more panicked than I've ever seen her. "Leah! How could you do this to me?"

"What?" I ask her. "What are you talking about? I told you I was going to enter. Did you think I was lying?"

She pouts. "I was hoping you were."

I role my eyes. "One good reason I shouldn't compete." In all honesty, I have a good reason not to compete. But Zara doesn't know that. And I have no intention of telling anyone until _after_ all this is over. Zara, Hiei… yeah, if I told either of them, there is no chance in hell they'd let me compete.

"Leah, I have a parasite." I frown. Zara's sick? She doesn't seem any different than normal. Her eyes entirely honest, she says, "What'll I do if my best friend dies? I won't have a babysitter."

What? Babysitter? "Zara…" I say. "Are you…?"

"Yes!" she shrieks, throwing her arms around me.

_The next day…_

Hiei and I stand back to back. No one else is left in our block. He turns to me. "You ready to move on?" he asks.

I shake my head. "You have more experience in the arena. You go ahead."

He frowns. "We agreed that if this happened, you would move on. When we met last time, I moved on. It's your turn. What changed?"

I shake my head. "I'm just tired, is all. I don't think I'd have a legitimate chance. You would." Before he can say anything, I tell him, "69877."

"Hiei wins!" the announcement comes over the intercom before Hiei can object.

Hiei glares at me, as though he isn't pleased that he's moving on. "What is wrong with you, woman?" he asks. "What're you up to?"

I shake my head. "I'll tell you when the tournament's over." I don't want to worry him. And it'd be nice to have something up my sleeve if he loses. In theory it will put him in a better mood. In actuality…

_Five weeks later…_

Hiei limps out of the arena, fuming. "That close," he snaps at me. "That close." He collapses on the couch the moment we reach our hotel room.

I walk up behind him and start rubbing his shoulders. He's so tense. I hate seeing him like this. "Anything I can get you?" I ask. "To help you feel better?"

"Doubtful."

I walk around the couch and place myself in his lap. I look him in the eyes. "Do you still want to know why I dropped out of the tournament?"

He frowns. "Yes, Leah. Are you crazy?"

"No," I say thoughtfully.

"Then why?"

"Hiei," I say slowly. Is he really ready for this? "I'm pregnant."

He stares at me. "What?"

"I am pregnant. And you," I reply, "are the father." Not like there _would_ be anyone else, and he knows that, but it might help to remind him of that.

"What?" He's still staring at me as though I've just told him… I don't know. That I'm pregnant, I suppose.

I kiss him. "I'm pregnant. Knocked up. With child. Expecting. I have a bun in the oven." Most likely multiples, considering I'm a cat, but I think I should probably let him get used to the idea of one before I spring that on him. Maybe… maybe there was something wrong with that first pregnancy from the beginning, if Rowan was the only one. "_Pregnant_."

"What?" Okay, this is getting old. He sounds as though he's set on repeat. I don't say anything else, just wait for it to sink in. It's almost ten minutes before he chokes out, "Pregnant?"

"Yes, Hiei," I reply quietly. "By you. I'm carrying your child." Children?

"A baby?"

I can't help but roll my eyes. "That's generally what happens at the end of a pregnancy, Hiei."

"A baby," he says to himself. But it is no longer a question. It's a statement, filled with a surprise and awe I didn't know Hiei was capable of expressing. "A baby." He looks at me, his eyes wide. "We're going to have a _baby_. I'm going to be—" A look of horror crosses his face. He lifts me off his lap and sets me back down on the couch. Then he paces around the room, his hands behind his head. Then he looks at me, a slight panic in his eyes. "I'm going to be a _father_, Leah. We're going to have a _baby_." There is fear in his eyes _now_? He just finished multiple fights, all of which were potentially fights to the death, without revealing an ounce of fear. But he find out I'm _pregnant_ and it sends him into a state of shock, bordering on fear and panic? What the hell is wrong with this man? What the hell is wrong with me for falling in love with him?

I just nod. Okay, it's sinking in. This is either very good… or very bad. "I got that when I took the home pregnancy test, Hiei."

"But…" he objects. "But… I'm going to be a _father_. I'm not ready to be a father."

I stand and walk over to him. "Yes you are, Hiei."

"No," he says. "I'm not. I'm going to be… I'm going to be a father."

"Hiei," I say, cupping his face in my hand. "You're wrong. You're not going to be a father. You're going to be a _dad_. Anyone can be a father. Marcello was Rowan's father. But you… you're going to be a dad. And you have a little more than six months to get ready. You'll be fine." We _might_ have that long… just… my instincts are telling me this is a healthy pregnancy. In which case… well, multiples generally come early.

He looks at me. "You really believe that?"

"Yes, Hiei," I answer. "I really believe that."

_Five months later…_

I answer the phone. "Leah?" Andy asks, sounding panicked.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"We're at the hospital. Could you—"

I hang up on him and grab Hiei, dragging him out the door. "We're going to the hospital," I inform him.

"What?" he asks. "Is the baby coming?"

I roll my eyes. "No. Well, yes. But not ours. Zara's."

He looks relieved. "I still can't believe that girl is going to be a mother. It scares me."

I roll my eyes. "It would scare me too, except she has Andy to keep her in line." He's almost as bad about liking to party as Zara is. But at least Andy knows when it's appropriate. Zara… there isn't really that line for her.

We get to the hospital and run inside. "Zara?" I ask. I'm given a room number and rush upstairs. I burst into the room, just as Zara screeches. I swear that girl could wake the dead. "Zara, honey, I'm here."

She takes my hand and nearly breaks it. Andy is alternately pacing the room and holding Zara's other hand, looking more nervous than I've seen him. It isn't long before the baby comes, crying loudly. Gets that from her mother, I suppose. She is beautiful, with her mother's blue eyes, and her father's blonde hair. "Aino," Zara whispers the girl's name.

**Hiei POV**

As Zara and Leah fawn of the new baby, I follow Andy out to the hall, where he continues the pacing. He takes a deep breath, then says, "Hey, Hiei. Thanks for coming. I know… I know that Kurama and Leah are your only real friends, but it means something, having you here." We stand in the doorway back to the room, watching Zara cradle their baby. And Leah looks delighted by the new addition, even as she caresses her stomach with one hand, as though she is protecting _our_ baby. Andy seems to be thinking the same thing, since he says, "Somehow, I'm not alone in this. Having another man here. More specifically, having another man whose wife is expecting."

I snort. "You have no idea how on edge Leah has me at the moment. You called, she grabbed my hand and told me we were going to the hospital. I thought _our_ baby was coming, the way she was acting."

"Hiei, dearest," Leah says sarcastically. "When our baby is coming, you'll know." I do not like the sound of that.

Andy shakes his head. "I just can't believe… I helped _make_ that."

"Right." The sarcasm comes from Zara this time. "All the _help_ you gave me came at the beginning. And you enjoyed that part just a little bit too much." A devilish grin covers her face. "Hiei probably enjoyed his role just as much."

"Zara," Leah sighs. "You will need to dial down the innuendos, for the sake of my child at the very least."

Zara rolls her eyes and calls, "You two. Go get us some food or something."

Andy shrugs. Then he looks at me, "You coming? It sounds as though she wants to talk to Leah alone."

I nod and accompany him to the cafeteria.

**Leah POV**

Zara looks at me and says, "Now be honest with me, Leah. Have you told him yet?"

"That it's most likely going to be two or three, as opposed to just one?"

"No," Zara answers, rolling her eyes before looking back down at Aino. "That you're pregnant."

"Zara, it was an_ accident_," I tell her.

She nods to the baby in her arms. "So was this."

"But Andy has been wanting kids for years, you know that. It's always been you who wasn't ready."

"Your point being…?" she prompts when I don't continue.

"Hiei is panicking about having _one_ kid," I answer. "I think he'd snap if I told him there will probably be more than one."

"And letting him find out when they come is a… good idea?" she asks disbelieving.

"You know Hiei is one of those people who can take it as it comes. There will be shock, and then he'll be just fine." I hesitate then say, "In all honesty, I think he's worried that what happened with Rowan is going to happen again. I think he's worried that this time, I might not make it."

"In other words, he's worrying like any new parent."

I nod. "Yeah. He is." Wait… something's not right. I reach out and grab Zara's hand.

Zara looks at me. "Nuh-uh." Even as she says it, she's hitting the button to call the nurse.

"Yes," I manage to get out, just before the first contraction hits.

**Hiei POV**

Andy and I stand in line in the cafeteria. Finally I get up the nerve to ask him, "What's it like? Holding your daughter?"

He looks at me. "It's… I can't describe it, Hiei. It makes all of the worry, all of the lost sleep, all of the pain I've suffered due to Zara's mood swings… it makes all that worth it."

I'm about to reply when, in the back of my mind, there is a shriek of pain. Leah. I drop the food I'm holding and dash away from Andy. "Hiei!" he shouts. I don't respond. I arrive in Zara's room in less than a minute. Leah isn't there.

"Where is she?" I ask.

Zara smiles, more calm than I've ever seen her. "They're going to put us all in the same room when she's through."

"When she's—" Wait. "Now?"

Zara nods. "Hurry or you'll miss it."

I dash from the room, only to Leah in a room down the hall, shouting, "Hiei, I know you can hear me! Now hurry up and get your ass in here! Or I'll be sure to kill you when all this is over!" Well, I suppose she warned me I'd know when it was actually her turn. I get to her room, and she smiles brightly at me. "I knew that would get you in here quickly."

The next hours are painful. Leah is grumpier than I've ever seen her before in my life. All I can say is that I'll be glad to have this over with. I'll be glad to hold the baby in my arms. "It's early again," I can't help but gasp at one point.

"I knew it would be," is all Leah says. Just… how could she have known?

It seems like forever before the doctors bring the squalling baby into the world. They get it cleaned off fairly quickly, but then Leah is crying out again. "What's happening?" I ask. Damn it, Hiei, calm down. It won't do any good to panic.

The doctor looks at me startled. "You guys didn't know this was going to be a multiple birth?" She turns back to Leah. "Keep pushing, honey, the second one's almost here."

Second one? What? No. I'm not ready to be a father for _one_ kid. How in hell am I supposed to handle _two_? The nurse hands me the first baby as I hover next to Leah's bed. What am I supposed to do? Then the doctor hands the nurse the second child. Leah relaxes. Thank god. It's over. It's all—"Ahhhh!" Leah yells.

"Leah!" I shout. "What's wrong?"

"Get this thing out of me!" she shouts at the doctor. There's _another_ one. Dear lord, help me.

It's several long minutes later that the baby is delivered. Then Leah falls back on her pillow, breathing heavily. "We finished?" I ask, as the nurse hands the second baby to Leah.

"Yeah," she sighs happily. Looking down at the baby, she says, "What should we name them?"

I shake my head. "Leah… why aren't you surprised?"

She looks at me, entirely unashamed. "You were so worried about one. There was no way I was going to make you even more annoying by telling you that, since cats generally have _litters_, there would likely be more than one."

"You didn't think I had a right to know?" I snap over the wailing of two of the babies.

"I would have told you if I would have thought you wouldn't freak out!" she snaps back. "Now what should we name them?"

I take a deep breath and look down at the child in my arms. The baby is wrapped in pink, black ears and black hair peeking out from beneath the blanket. She is screeching loudly. I look at the two babies Leah now has in her arms. Two blue blankets. Two boys. One has orange hair the color of Leah's, but his ears are tinted dark gray. I can't make out the coloring of the other. I ask, "Did you have any names in mind?" I certainly hadn't thought that far ahead. I didn't really feel like this was real until just now…

She nods. "I really like the name Brennan."

"Brennan?" I ask. Is she serious? Then I shrug. It's better than anything I've come up with. "For which one?"

"How about this little guy in my left arm?" she asks, indicating the orange haired boy. "And for the girl, how about…" She hesitates for a long time, before finally saying, "Hina."

My mother's name. "Leah… why did you choose that name?"

She frowns then says, "From what I've heard, secondhand of course, from Yukina… Your mother would have wanted to keep you, Hiei, if she could."

"Hina means _sunlight_, Leah. She's a black cat."

Leah shrugs. "Hina it is then. And him?" She shows me the other boy. He was the last to be born, and he's also been the quietest. His blue eyes look up at me questioningly from beneath blonde hair.

And the thing is… the moment I saw we had a boy, I knew what his name would be. There is only one name I want to give him. I smile at Leah. "His name is Aidan."

Leah's eyes widen, and she immediately begins crying.

* * *

Well, that's that chapter. Only one more and the story will be over. Sad day… you know who I own. Time for reviews.

animegrlsteph: weird but sweet… yeah, pretty much. Or else they're both just stupid, which is also entirely possible.

Kushiel's Fallen: that is a very good question… I don't really know. I forgot about the dishes. They didn't seem important for some reason…

Insanity4Apples: gracias. Glad you're still enjoying it. :)

Emerald Gaze: Thanks for your review! I can only hope you liked the story enough to read it all the way through to this chapter. :)

Four-eyed 0-0: Glad you enjoyed it. That last comment… after everything Zara has said and the remarks Hiei has made based on Zara's commentary… it seemed necessary. And it seemed like something Leah would say. Also, ranting is okay. And as for your 'hoping for more' you get this chapter and then one more.

wolvesrain17: thanks for the review! I'm glad you like my writing style and the bit about his anatomy seemed necessary after all the comments made in the past…

Allysarian: I don't know why Hiei reacted that way to her eating off his spoon. It just sort of happened… ah well. I like how that chapter turned out. And yes, this story is unfortunately nearing its end. Only one chapter to go.

FireStorm1991: thanks. Glad you enjoyed the chapter. Hope you'll stick around for the finale.

canopyskyandblanketseas: good to know the person this was written for still approves. Hope you enjoyed this chapter enough to stick around for the last chapter.


	12. Shizuru M

_17 years later…_

**Leah POV**

Shizuru comes up to me, tailed by her cousin Lexa, as well as Aino and Hina. I've watched the four of them grow up. After Aidan passed away, I never thought I'd be able to consider anyone but Zara and Andy my family. But now there's Anna and Kurama and Shizuru and Jake and Yusuke and Keiko and all their kids and Yukina and Kuwabara. We're a family. Maybe not related, but we're still family. And I have Hiei and Brennan and Hina and Aidan. And… I reach down and place a hand on my swollen belly. I laugh to myself. Hiei's not been any calmer the second time around.

But in spite of the panic, he is a good father. Hina is spoiled rotten because even at seventeen she's still Daddy's little girl. And it scares me just a little bit how much Brennan and Aidan get into their training...

The eighteen year old and the sixteen year old each take one of my hands and lead me to a table. Seventeen year old Aino and Hina follow. We all sit down. They all look confused and worried. Especially Shizuru. "What's wrong?" I ask.

Shizuru hesitates, so Lexa says, "She… Leah… you and Hiei…"

She stops. None of them knows what to say. Then Shizuru says, "Dmitri proposed, Leah."

I smile. "That's wonderful, Shizuru." I glance at her hand. There isn't a ring. I frown. "What's wrong, Shizuru? I thought you loved him."

"I do," she insists. "But… I don't know if he loves me."

"Why would he propose if he didn't love you?" I ask. What is going on here?

She shakes her head. "I don't know. I just… He's never told me he loves me."

Oh. I see. "Why are you asking me, Shizuru?"

"Because…" All of a sudden, she counters my question with one of her own. "Do you and Hiei love each other?"

I stare at her. "What do you mean?" I ask.

"Do you love each other?" she repeats. "You've been together for longer than I've been alive, but I've never heard either of you tell the other you love each other. My parents and Lexa's parents tell each other all the time. Keiko and Yusuke, Yukina and Kuwabara… they all say 'I love you.' But you and Hiei don't. Hina says she's never heard you tell each other you love each other. Do you love each other?"

I look at her. "Very much, Shizuru," I say.

"Then why do you never say it?" She looks close to tears.

I hesitate. I don't want to lead her into believing something that may or may not be true. But I've seen the way that boy looks at her. I've seen how much he tries to take care of her, in spite of the fact that with the parents and aunts and uncles and other "family" she has, she's been trained well enough that she doesn't really need his protection. I see the tears welling in the golden eyes. This is the truth, I can feel it. "Do you feel like he loves you, Shizuru?" I ask.

"Of course," she says, still trying not to cry. "But how am I supposed to know if he never says it?"

I smile. "Pay attention to how he _acts_, Shizuru. Actions speak louder than words. Hiei and I never say 'I love you' because there never seems to be a need to state something that is so obvious in the other person's eyes and actions."

"Maybe you can do that, Leah," Shizuru sniffles, "But I can't. I've never… I've never seen what love really looks like in someone my age. I see what it looks like in all of you guys, but most of you are way older than you look. And even more of you aren't normal humans. Most of you aren't even human. Dmitri is normal, Dmitri is human. How am I supposed to tell if he loves me or not?"

I nod. "I can, Shizuru. I see it in his eyes every time he looks at you. If he could, he would wrap the world in a gift bag and give it to you as a gift for no special reason. I guarantee that he's agonizing over what he did wrong with his proposal. He would do anything in the world not to lose you, Shizuru. He would take on Hell itself before losing you." No that's not right. "No, he would take on Hell itself before making you unhappy, even if making you happy meant letting you go. Even if it meant making himself unhappy."

"You really think so, Leah?" she asks.

I nod. "I really do, Shizuru."

Then, out of the blue, Lexa asks, "Leah, why do you wear a wedding ring when Hiei doesn't?"

I glance down at my hand. "This is… I'm not married to Hiei, Lexa. This… before any of you were born, before I met Hiei, I was married to another man. He died…" I nod. I don't want to talk about losing people. Not with the young ones.

Lexa frowns. "I didn't know that."

"I don't generally talk about it."

"Shizuru?" Dmitri's voice suddenly calls out. "Are you here?"

I look at her. "Let me talk to him a moment, mkay?"

She nods. "I'll go fix my makeup."

I manage to heave myself out of the chair and I waddle out and meet him. "Oh hey, Leah," he greets me. "Have you seen Shizuru? I need to talk to her."

I nod. "I want to talk to you a minute first. Sit down."

"I don't like the sound of this," he says. But he sits.

"Do you love her, Dmitri?" I ask him.

He stares. "More than anything," he says in shock. "Why would you ask a question like that? I've heard it said that there is no such thing as a stupid question, but I think…"

I shake my head. "Dmitri," I say gently. "I was making a point. I know you love her. But… she just came to me crying. She loves you, but she didn't accept your proposal because she wasn't sure if you loved her. She needs to hear it. She's not like you or me or Hiei; the three of us can communicate such things without those words. Keep in mind Kurama and Anna. Shizuru's father never misses an opportunity to tell Anna he loves her. That's how Shizuru grew up. She needs to hear it."

He looks at me. "That's it?" he asks. "That's all? That's the only reason she said no?"

I nod. "Now tell her you love her and repropose."

I go into the room where the other adults are drinking. It's bewildering. Even as we get older, it doesn't seem as though our tolerance for alcohol decreases. It seems as though many people can't take the long nights and even longer mornings as they get older… but that doesn't seem to be affecting us.

Ah well. I guess that's just how we are. Not that I can drink at the moment anyway.

Suddenly a fourteen year old Shiori runs up to her father. "Dad," she complains. "I have a problem."

Kurama just raises his eyebrows. "And that would be?"

"My friends keep complaining about their parents' security systems."

"And?" Anna asks. "What's the problem?"

Shiori groans. "I can't very well complain about _my_ parents' security system. They know you _have_ one. But what am I supposed to say? Oh, my mom's willpower is so strong that no one could get in without her okay? And if someone did manage to get in, they'd be promptly attacked by an extensive series of potted plants?"

Everyone in the room laughs. I walk over and sit on Hiei's lap. He doesn't even blink at the additional weight. "What's your idea of a security system?" I whisper.

He looks at me. "Leah," he says slowly. "I am a Dark Tournament champion. You managed to beat me in a fight that was, if anything, unfair, with the advantage given to me. We are both consistently serious contenders in the Tournament of Kings. I hardly think security is an issue."

I laugh and kiss him quickly. "I love you," I suddenly hear myself whisper.

**Hiei POV**

What? Where did that come from? In more than twenty years, she has never once said that. Neither have I, but we didn't need that. "I know," I answer. "I love you too, Leah."

Suddenly she shakes her head. "No," she says. "Don't say that. I don't… I was lying when I said I love you. Love isn't a strong enough word. For how either of us feels. I don't like it."

I laugh. "I know exactly how you feel. On both counts."

She sighs and rests her head up against my shoulder. "That's better. And it makes me very happy that the feelings have only grown in the past twenty years."

I nod, but don't respond.

The next time I look down at her golden-red hair, I am unsurprised to find that Leah, as always, has fallen asleep.

* * *

Well, there you have our final chapter. I hope you found it as enjoyable to read as the others. There will be two more 'bonus chapter' (much like the story 'Runaway' for 'Runaway Train') but you don't have to read those. You probably won't want to read the last one because there are probably a painful number of mistakes. That's okay. You know who I own. Time to answer reviews one last time. Thanks for all the support!

OH YEAH! As always, this story is dedicated and written for canopyskyandblanketseas. :)

animegrlsteph: thanks. :)

canopyskyandblanketseas: I don't know about Hiei as a father. I always pictured him as one of those fathers who would expect a lot from his sons, but not so much that it was unrealistic (Hiei's not stupid; contrary to popular belief, he is actually quite practical...) Yeah, so expects a lot from his sons and spoils any daughters to no end (unfortunately... the overprotective father when boys are concerned goes hand in hand with that...) Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. As for being able to write, I'm sure you could! My first stories are painful for me to read now... Well, adios!

Ayane Yokosuka: well, sorry I made you cry, but I guess I did well in making the emotions feel real. That's always good to know.

Insanity4Apples: thanks for the review. :) Glad Ricky's back to normal.

Kushiel's Fallen: THERE'S AN ALIEN GROWING INSIDE ME! I totally know what you mean about freaking out. That's how I would react... and then I'm not sure what would follow... thanks for the review!

Emerald Gaze: thanks for sticking with me this far and thanks for the review! I hope you enjoyed the final chapter.

wolvesrain17: I probably could keep the story going, the thing is that when I try to force a story to keep going when it's ready to end, it gets steadily worse and worse... and I don't have time to be working on this. But that's okay. I hope you still enjoyed the last chapter. :)

four-eyed 0-0: thanks for all your support. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and hope the final chapter was just as good.

FireStorm1991: Thanks for the review and all your support through this story. :)

Allysarian: I LOVE LONG REVIEWS! Okay, now that that's out of the way... First, I am ECSTATIC that someone noticed the significance of the chapter titles. You're the first one to mention it, so I don't know if anyone else has or not... at any rate, I think Hiei would only have reacted with rage if he didn't love the girl (i.e., he got the one night stand he was initially looking for and the girl sought him out afterward... then he'd probably be angry). As for Hiei being a bit OOC at times... I'm aware. It's _hard_ to write a romance with Hiei and keep him in character... I keep trying, and I can't ever seem to do it... it's a bit frustrating. I am very glad you liked this story enough to continue reading it all the way through. I hope the last chapter didn't disappoint. :)


	13. Bonus Chapter: Zara

**Zara POV**

_Opened up my heart __  
__Start to feel again __  
__Take another step __  
__Now I understand __  
__All the time I waited __  
__All my faded plans __  
__Every single tragedy was leading up to __  
__Someone that loves me like you __  
__In a world full of broken promises __  
__You were my portrait of truth __  
__And suddenly I confess_

I see Leah with Hiei and I remember how she was with Aidan. It really isn't fair, what happened. It's unfair to all of them. Aidan was a good man who didn't deserve to die so young. Leah didn't deserve that kind of pain. Hiei doesn't deserve to have Leah so stubbornly refuse him because of what happened to Aidan.

Aidan was the most important thing in the world to Leah. It's been six years… she's had some weak moments, where she was drunk and slept with a stranger. Yeah, I should have stopped her. Andy should have stopped her. But we were at least as drunk as she was. So much for friends don't let friends get drunk and make mistakes they'll regret in the morning.

Then there was Rowan… she only saw the father that one time. But that wasn't the point. The point was that it was _her baby_. I don't understand why Leah's life has been filled with so much tragedy. What doesn't kill her will make her stronger, I suppose. I just don't know when it will be one thing too many. One tragedy too many, and she won't be able to get stronger. It _will_ kill her. And I think that, now, after all that, losing Hiei would be that tragedy.

I look across the room at them. He has his arm around her, and she's fallen asleep on his shoulder. He looks far more relaxed than he did when we first met him. "Hiei," I say quietly, "If you hurt her, I will kill you." I feel Andy's hand beneath mine, and I add, "And Andy will help me."

He frowns. "Why would I hurt her, Zara?"

I shake my head. "Things happen. Life is full of tragedy. But the tragedies have made Leah stronger. They built her personality up in a way that would allow the two of you to come together. But a heart can only be broken so many times in so many ways. Leah's had her share of heartbreak, Hiei. If you leave her, it will kill her and she'll never trust anyone again."

He nods. "I understand. The only thing that could ever make me leave would be if she was in danger with me staying." I can see the honesty in his eyes, even in the low, flickering light of the TV.

"Good," I say._  
_  
_All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever wanted __  
__Was you __  
__All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever needed  
All I ever needed __  
__Was you_

All Leah really needs is a strong man who won't leave her. Sure Hiei came here looking for only one thing. But now… I'm not sure if Leah can see the love he feels for her. They're so funny. They love each other. Leah hasn't told me she loves him. But I can see that she does. And he loves her too. That much is obvious.

But neither of them ever says it. I don't know if they are just afraid to commit, or if they're unsure of the other person's feelings, or what. Personally, I think their connection just eliminates the need for those words. Because I feel like they both know the other person loves them. I don't think they're afraid to admit the truth. I think they just have a deeper tie. One that makes it so they don't need to say out loud what is, at least to them, glaringly obvious.

_It took a little pain __  
__Why would I believe it __  
__All I ever needed was you __  
__Opened up my eyes __  
__Finally I'm seeing __  
__All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever needed __  
__Was you_

_I ignore the stars __  
__Each and every day __  
__Don't give them credit cause __  
__All they ever did was bring me pain_

Leah… why must you be so stubborn? Hiei… why must you pretend to be such an ass? You both almost lost the best thing that ever happened to you. Well… Leah, the best thing has already come and gone. But there are very, very few singularities in this world. Now that Aidan cannot come back, Hiei is the best. Not the next best thing. The best. He is equally good for her, in a very different way.

And I don't know why Hiei is the way he is. Perhaps he's been through just as much emotional trauma as Leah.

But… that can only be good for their relationship. They can understand each other. I get the feeling he understands her emotional turmoil in a way I never could, even though I was with her through it all.

And I think they're finally beginning to see that.

The thing is, from the beginning, there was something about him that screamed he was the right person for Leah. Or that Leah was perfect for him. Both, I guess.

I don't blame Leah for hating her lucky stars. Or her lack thereof. But… there _are_ some things that are meant to be. Hiei and Leah being together is one of them.

_Waited for a love __  
__I didn't have a name __  
__You could call me crazy __  
__But it's all I had to keep me sane _

_Now out of the darkness comes a light __  
__And I feel like I'm staring at the sun __  
__The shadowy cast feels so right __  
__It took so many wrongs to find the right_

_All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever wanted __  
__Was you __  
__All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever needed __  
__All I ever needed __  
__Was you_

Ever since Aidan got sick and died, she's been trying to move on. But she could never quite manage it. She wanted someone who could understand her pain. But she was always too afraid of getting close to them to find out if the one she was speaking to might be the one who could understand her.

But then… sure, he has no people skills whatsoever. The thing is, she doesn't either. Maybe more than him… but even now, she doesn't like getting close to people. She was always like that. Always content to have just me and Aidan. She let Andy into her little circle of friends, but only for my sake.

She tried so many times to move on. Many of those attempts were just stupid. Of course, I can't say I was really a good influence…

But with Hiei it's all different. She's _happy_ when she's around him, as unbelievable as that is. It seems like every time I turn around, one of them is pissed at the other. But the happiness in between the anger… that somehow makes up for it. And they both feel that way. They confuse me. So much.

Maybe they're insane. It would explain a lot, if they're just speaking in a language no one else can understand because we're not crazy.

Then again, trying to move on was the only thing that kept Leah from going crazy.

Maybe it's not that they're crazy, so we can't understand them. Maybe it's that we're crazy and can't understand them. Or maybe it's both.

Or maybe it's that we're all entirely sane, but Leah and Hiei have something the rest of us can't really understand because we have never felt their pain.

_It took a little pain __  
__Why would I believe it __  
__All I ever needed was you __  
__Open up my eyes __  
__Finally I'm seeing__  
__All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever needed __  
__Was you _

_I played a part __  
__Acting like I knew just who you are __  
__Traded every day that I can love __  
__Anyone but you _

_I played a part __  
__Acting like it's written in the stars __  
__Loneliness was killing me enough __  
__I said I can't make it through_

What really scares me is what Leah might have done if Hiei _hadn't_ shown up. I could see her slipping away from me. I could see that, every few weeks, she had even more trouble than usual just pretending she was happy. I don't know how long it would have been before she did something drastic. Or stupid. Or both. And I don't know if I could have saved her.

What's really funny is that, at first, they were both just pretending. He was pretending to like her, he was pretending to care. And Leah, my stupid, stupid Leah, was pretending she believed him. I shake my head. And then they both fell in love for real.

And now… they'd give up the world for each other. They have no intention of ever seeing anyone else. They… they are _perfect_ for each other. They are just… ugh. Hiei is the _only_ man who would put up with Leah. Well, the Leah that came after Aidan and Rowan. And Leah is the only girl who would put up with him. It works. Somehow. They were made for each other.

But if I asked either of them…

"Hiei," I ask. "Do you believe that some things are meant to be?"

Hiei looks across the room at me. He doesn't answer. "Zara?" Andy asks.

"Do you believe that some things are meant to be?" I ask again, this time directing the question at Andy and Hiei.

Andy doesn't respond. Hiei just says, "Does it matter? We have free will. If something is meant to be, it will happen no matter what decisions we make. Somehow, that end will work itself out. Whether or not something is _meant to be_ doesn't make a difference."

I smile. Typical. I lean up against Andy and turn my face back to the TV. After several minutes, Hiei says, "Yes, Zara. I wouldn't have said so before, but now… yes. Some things are meant to be. Whether or not you want them to happen. You have no control." He pauses then muses to himself, "Some things are simply meant to be…"

_All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever needed _

_It took a little pain __  
__Why would I believe it __  
__All I ever needed was you __  
__Opened up my eyes __  
__Finally I'm seeing__  
__All I ever wanted __  
__All I ever needed __  
__Was you _

_It took so long just to feel alive_

Leah and Hiei… I can see that they make each other feel alive. They were both broken people when he showed up. Now… not so much. They're both vibrant now.

I guess all they ever needed was each other.

_All I ever needed  
Was you_

* * *

Well, there is the bonus chapter from Zara's point of view. the song is 'All I Ever Wanted' by Faith Hill.


	14. Bonus Chapter: Kurama

A note from the author—if you don't speak/read Spanish… that's okay, I love you anyway. You can skip the parts in Spanish. The story will still make sense. The poem is the same, just the original and the English translation. And if you _do_ speak/read Spanish… I apologize for what's not in italics. Because I'm sure I've probably butchered it. But no harm in trying. And I'm bored. At any rate, don't flame me for my lack of ability to write in Spanish. It's been more than a year since I took a Spanish class.

* * *

**Sonnet 17—Kurama POV**

_No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal, topacio  
O flecha de claveles que propagan el fuego:  
Te amo como se aman ciertas cosas oscuras,  
Secretamente, entre la sombra y el alma._

Oscuridad circunda la relación de Hiei y Leah. El amor de ellos es… extraño. Su pasión… su pasión es como un fuego sin calor, como hielo que no esta frío. No tiene sentido. Pero la _es_. Hiei y Leah se aman, pero ellos no lo mostran. Hiei no lo mostra a Leah, Leah no lo mostra a Hiei. Es como estan desconocidos. Viven en una casa, pero… ¿cómo dos personas se aman como Leah y Hiei evidentemente se aman, pero se comportan como no estan amigos, mucho menos amantes?

No lo comprendo. No tiene sentido. Pero… en sus secretos, Hiei y Leah sujetan el cariño y la pasión y el amor a sus corazones. Quizá yo no comprendo porque la relación es tanta extraña. No se aman como personas normales. Pero se aman.

Aman.

_I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,  
Or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.  
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,  
In secret, between the shadow and the soul. _

Unbelievable. He actually fell in love. Get laid, sure. Pretend to be in love, I'd buy that. But I thought it was a long shot to bet on him bringing the girl back. And now _Shizuru's_ bet won? It's… fantastic isn't quite the right word, considering Hiei and Leah both seem to be… irritable still. It's like they aren't really getting along. But it somehow _works_ for them. Jake and Shizuru, Keiko and Yusuke, me and Anna… we all have our arguments, but most of the time they're just over stupid stuff. And we know it's stupid so they aren't real arguments. Then Yukina and Kuwabara, if they can really be considered a couple, simply don't argue at all.

But Hiei and Leah… they have an almost dark, twisted love. It seems like they get into a real fight every single day. But it never lasts. Neither of them is willing to apologize, but the anger just… vanishes. I don't know how or why, but there is something more going on between the two of them than the rest of us understand, I think.

It's… well, not obvious. But there are hints from both of them that they are really, truly, one hundred percent in love with each other. But it's not the passionate, ostentatious love that Kuwabara feels for Yukina. It's not the tenderhearted but irritating love Yusuke shows Keiko. It's most definitely not whatever it is I have with Anna. It's like… they are trying to love each other in secret, without really keeping it a secret.

_Te amo como la planta que no florece y lleva  
Dentro de sí, escondida, la luz de aquellas flores,  
Y gracias a tu amor vive oscuro en mi cuerpo  
El apretado aroma que ascendió de la tierra._

Hiei ama Leah en silencio, sin extravagancia, sin exageración, sin palabras. ¿Comó pueden amar si no lo mostran?

Eso me hace pensar… ¿comó estan Leah y Hiei cuando no estamos allí? ¿Estan más abiertos con sus emociones cuando estan solo juntos? Quizá Hiei tienen miedos de mostrando sus emociones a todos salvo Leah. Quizá el mismo puede estar dicho de Leah.

_I love you as the plant that never blooms  
But carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;  
Thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,  
Risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body. _

The love I see in Hiei's eyes… it's like he doesn't want to admit to it. And Leah accepts that. She feels the same even. They inflame each other's hearts, yet say nothing of it. They inspire each other's love and happiness, yet hide it from the world and one another, as though it is better that way.

They carry the light inside them without admitting to the love aloud. But, somehow, I see in their eyes that they know the truth. Leah knows how much Hiei loves her, and he knows she feels just as strongly. It's as though it's beyond the point where words can even begin to express what they feel, so they abandon speech altogether, settling for the language of looks and gentle touches. A language that, while all couples speak one dialect or another, is individual and unique to them. Only Hiei and Leah truly understand the meanings behind the eyes, the love behind the caring gestures.

_Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde,  
Te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo:  
Así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera,_

Ellos no comprenden porque se aman. El amor vino impensadamente. Vino sin razón. Vino sin rima. Vino aunque Hiei y Leah no lo quieren.

Esta comico… ellos se aman pero no quieren amarse. Pero maneja. Maneja igualmente. En cierto modo. Y estan felices con como su amor maneja. Aunque no tiene sentido a los demás.

_I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.  
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;  
So I love you because I know no other way _

One of the most interesting things is that neither of them wanted to fall in love. I have talked to Zara a few times, and Leah _hated_ him in the beginning. Considering how the relationship started, though, it's more surprising that she doesn't hate him still. Considering how they still act around one another, if I didn't know better, I would bet money that they hated each other.

Yet, somehow, their relationship doesn't seem complex in any way. Well, it is confusing like no other to those of us looking in from the outside, but to Leah and Hiei… to them it seems to make perfect sense. They are equals, neither pretending to be better than the other. And the… _flow_ of their relationship is as consistent and smooth as the tide. Whether or not anyone else can really see it, they can feel its movement and patterns. And it makes _sense_ to them. Somehow.

_Sino así de este modo en que no soy ni eres,  
Tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mía,  
Tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueño._

Son como… no… no son una persona. Hiei y Leah… son dos muy distintas personas, pero se aman tanto que ninguno sobreviviría la pérdida del otro. Cada moriría sin el otro. Y yo no pienso que estoy exagerando. Hiei y Leah han perdido mucho en sus vivas. Una mas pérdida… la pérdida del otro… Yo creo que el sufrimiento mataría Leah y Hiei ambos.

No son una persona, pero son una viva.

_Than this: where I do not exist, nor you,  
So close that your hand on my chest is my hand,  
So close that your eyes close as I fall asleep._

I'm convinced they can't take the loss of the other. If one of them walks out for real, or if one of them dies… it will kill the other. I'm certain of it.

They're not one person, not two halves of a whole, but they can't survive without each other any longer. You cannot have Hiei without Leah; you cannot have Leah without Hiei.

They are two very different people, but there is only one life.

No son una persona, pero son solo una viva.

_Kiyoshi'sGirl64 and Kiyoshi w/ inspiration from the poem by Pablo Neruda_


End file.
